No One Does It Better
by Relised
Summary: Werewolf's aren't supposed to get sick. Because what's the whole point of being a werewolf if there aren't any perks? Turns out, though, cancer is one thing the wolf just can't heal. And Derek can only do so much to keep Jackson fighting
1. Chapter 1

_I don't own Teen Wolf._

**No One Does It Better: Chapter 1**

Jackson's lungs burned as he raced to keep up with Derek. He had always been in good shape, even before the bite, but the Alpha had years of experience on him and knew the land like the back of his hand. The teen lengthened his stride, pumping his arms to gain some momentum. He inwardly sighed in relief when he saw the Hale property come into view. Derek slowed to stop, not even slightly out of breath. Jackson groaned as he bent at the waist, his hands digging into his thighs.

"You okay?" Derek asked quietly, an eyebrow raised in question. Jackson shook his head, keeping his face ducked away from the older man. He thought he had caught his breath enough to stand up; instead he ended up vomiting at his feet. "Jackson?" Derek asked, the worry in his voice clear.

"Fuck," Jackson mumbled, wrapping his long arms around his stomach as he continued to throw up. He tensed as Derek's hand landed on his shoulder; every muscle in his body hurt.

"What's wrong?" Derek asked, helping Jackson lower to the ground without landing in his own puke. He had never seen a werewolf get this sick before; their bodies always repaired themselves before it got this bad.

"I don't know," Jackson whispered. His head throbbed, distracting him from the clenching in his stomach. "This is the third time this week." Derek bit his lip, searching over the teen in front of him.

Derek and Jackson had started a relationship shortly after Jackson had received the bite. Derek had spent every night for the first two weeks in Jackson's room, stopping him from destroying it out of fear from his nightmares. They went on runs every day, Derek teaching the new wolf how to track and be stealthy. And while their relationship was a secret, they would spend night after night curled together in Jackson's bed, Derek staying awake until he was sure the younger boy's breathing had evened out.

"I thought werewolf's didn't get sick?" Jackson whispered as he sat up slowly, his vision swimming slightly. "I thought our bodies just automatically healed themselves." Derek offered Jackson a hand, slowly pulling him to his feet and keeping a hand on his arm when the blonde started to sway.

"Well, normally they do. I don't know what's going on with you," Derek said, his mind flying to every possibility without trying to alarm Jackson.

"Awesome, even as a werewolf I screw everything up," Jackson whispered under his breath, wincing when he forgot Derek would be able to hear him. "Mom's already made an appointment for me to see Dr. Reames tomorrow. I'll keep you posted. Care if I take the day off tomorrow? I mean I know I need the training and stuff, I'm just so tired…"

"No, it's fine. Take a couple days, J. Just let me know what the doctor says." Derek wrapped a hand around the back of Jackson's neck, pulling the slightly shorter close to his body. He placed a light kiss to Jackson's lips, a small smile on his face. "I'm sure you'll be okay. It'll take a lot to kill a wolf."

"For once you're not a pessimist," Jackson said with a grin, pulling away from Derek and walking back to his car. He hated worrying Derek, and if that meant keeping it to himself that he had to pull over a mile outside the woods and wait for his head to stop swimming, then he would.

"Jackson Whittemore?" A nurse dressed in teal scrubs called into the waiting room and Jackson stood with a sigh as he slipped his phone into his pocket. He fallowed the nurse down the hallway to an examination room. He answered her questions as politely as he could, his mother's mannerisms engraved in his mind. She gave him a small smile when she was done, slipping his chart into a shelf right outside the door. "Dr. Reames will be in shortly, Jackson."

"Thanks," he mumbled. He pulled his phone back out of his pocket and sent a quick text to Derek, promising to call him when he was done. He flipped through a pamphlet on teenage pregnancy with a bored look on his face.

"Don't have to worry about that anymore," he mumbled to himself. "Point one for the gay card." His mind drifted to his birth parents. They had been sixteen when they put Jackson up for adoption. He had been named Patrick Mays then. The Whittemore's adopted him when he was five-old enough to remember the group homes and foster parents. He had never met his birth parents.

"Mr. Whittemore," Dr. Reames greeted, entering the room without any warning. "Seems you've been here an awful lot lately."

"Yeah, I guess," Jackson said, his poster straight. His head was starting to pound again.

"So what seems to be the problem this time?" the older man asked, sitting down in a rolling chair in front of Jackson.

"I've just been feeling really sick lately; pounding headache pretty much every day, I feel nauseas all the time for the past couple weeks. This week whatever I've gotten down I've just ended up throwing up later. Every muscle and joint in my body hurts. I've never had a nose bleed in my life until last week and now I've had three. Just…something doesn't feel right."

"Hmm," Dr. Reames said, his brow furrowed in concern. "Well, that doesn't sound good, Mr. Whittemore. Let's run some tests and then we'll go from there, okay? We're just going to need some blood samples and I'd liked to take a bone marrow sample, also. I'll have Vanessa come in and take those. She'll need to get to your pelvic bone to get the bone marrow sample, so if you feel more comfortable you can changed into a gown. We'll have the results by Monday. Then we'll go from there."

"Wait, what do you think it is?" Jackson asked, his eyebrows raising as the doctor started to leave the room.

"I'd rather not say until I'm sure, Mr. Whittemore. Have a good day." Jackson sighed as the doctor left the room. Shortly after a short women with curly blonde hair entered the room.

"I'm Vanessa, I'll be taking some blood and bone marrow samples from you. Do you have an arm preference?" Jackson shook his head, holding out his left arm since that was the closest to the girl. He didn't even flinch as the needle entered the crook of his arm. "Good," she said, taping a piece of cotton to his arm as she pulled the needle out. "Now, I need to get to your pelvic bone, just at your hip…"

Jackson stood, glad he had his lacrosse warm-up pants that he could easily slip off. He took the sheet Vanessa handed him and covered himself as best as he could and then bared his hip. "This is just going to numb the area a bit, dear. This is known to be a bit painful." It didn't take long for the numbing agent to kick in and then Vanessa was inserting a larger needle into his hip. He tried to keep the gasp quiet as she slowly pulled back on the plunger, drawing a small amount of bone marrow out. Jackson let his head fall back as he shut his eyes against the pressure.

"Good, Jackson," Vanessa whispered as she placed a band aid over the spot. "You might feel a bit sore tomorrow. I'll have a sports excuse slip for you for today and tomorrow. It'll be better to sit out if you can. We'll have the results on Monday."

"Thanks," Jackson whispered, sitting up and pulling his pants back on. With a sigh he slid off the table, following the woman down the hall with a slight limp.

"Never mind, he's here," Derek said into his phone, an eyebrow cocked at Jackson as he entered the older boy's apartment. "And just because I've given him the day off doesn't mean you can slack. Take Stilinski to the woods with you and practice tracking him….Do it McCall." Derek ended the call, crossing the room in three short steps.

"Well? What's wrong with you?" He asked, sniffing at Jackson in question. He could smell the disinfectant coming off the younger boy. Jackson shrugged, pushing past Derek and going for the fridge.

"I know you said no beer unless it's a special occasion," Jackson mumbled, reaching for a Yuengling. "But it's been a bad week and I need this right now." Derek didn't say anything, instead nodding his head and waiting for Jackson to talk.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong or not?" Derek asked, crossing his arms and leaning back against the kitchen counter.

"I don't know," Jackson said back, taking another swig of his beer. "They just ran a bunch of tests and said they'd have the results back Monday. I have another appointment after school." He took another swig of beer and pushed off the counter and limped over to the couch.

"Why are you limping?" Derek asked, his voice getting louder. Jackson groaned, rubbing at his aching head.

"They took a bone marrow sample," he said quietly, flipping down the waistband of his pants to show the area that was already bruising. He frowned at it slightly, looking up at Derek in question. "Shouldn't the extra super werewolf powers have healed that already?"

"Yeah, it should have…" Derek trailed off. There was something off about Jackson; Derek could smell it amongst the teens cologne and the doctor's office disinfectant. "I… I'll make some calls. There was a pack of older wolf's my mother always ran with; they might know something."

"I'm sure it's nothing. Probably just mono or something. I've always had a shitty immune system since I left the foster homes…"

"Let's not worry about it now, okay?" Derek said, sliding onto the couch behind Jackson. "When do you have to be home?"

"Soon…Mom gets off at five," Jackson mumbled, his eyes sliding shut. Derek gave him a reassuring smile as Jackson fell asleep curled into his Alpha's side.

The weekend went by fast, Jackson finally feeling okay to run with Derek again late Sunday afternoon. They didn't go as far as normal, Jackson still lagging behind some. The boys fell into a heap on Derek's couch, Jackson panting like he'd been running for days.

"What time is your appointment tomorrow?" He asked, wrapping a sweaty arm around Jackson's waist.

"Two," Jackson answered in a whisper. "I get to miss 9th period. I've convinced mom she doesn't have to come. I'll call you after, though. I'm sure it's just mono. This is only like the third time I've had it."

"If you say so," Derek growled back, running a hand over Jackson's still bruised hip.

"I've you heard back from your mom's friends yet?" he asked, stretching his sore shoulders.

"I've talked to her, but she hasn't answered yet. She's looking into it though." Jackson just nodded, his shaky hands grasping Derek's arm. "It's going to be okay," the Alpha whispered, kissing Jackson's forehead. Jackson just nodded again.

Derek had waited around all day Monday, pacing his apartment and checking his email repeatedly. Ruth, his mother's friend, should have been getting back to him at any time and Derek was getting anxious. He became even more anxious when two o'clock rolled around and he knew that Jackson would be in his appointment. He kept his phone in his hand, waiting desperately for the call. Finally around three it came.

"J? How'd it go?" Derek asked, sinking down on the couch slowly.

"Can I come over?" Jackson asked, his voice shaking.

"Of course, you know you don't have to ask….I'm assuming it's not mono?"

"I'll be there in like ten minutes," Jackson said, hanging up the phone without answering Derek's questions.

Jackson looked horrible when he walked into Derek's small apartment. Dark bags were under his eyes and his skin was almost see through. Derek thought back to when he had sunk his claws into Jackson's neck and how he had reacted somewhat like this. He carried a stack of papers in his hands, his grasp making them shake. He lowered himself onto Derek's couch, letting the papers fall in his lap as he lowered his head into his hands.

"J?" Derek asked, sliding next to Jackson on the couch. "What's wrong?"

"I never thought this would happen…" Jackson said, his voice cracking as he trailed off. " I mean, my life already sucks enough. I was born to a couple stupid teenagers who didn't want me, and my adoptive parents just shove fancy things in my face like that's how you really love someone. And I've never been enough for anyone until now; not even Lydia. But after the bite I thought things were supposed to get better. Stuff like this wasn't supposed to happen after the bite…" Derek bit his lip as Jackson trailed off, rocking back and forth hugging his stomach with one arm.

"Jackson, what are you talking about?" Derek asked, trying to reach out and take the pile of papers in his lap. Jackson lashed out, partially transforming and sinking his claws into Derek's wrist. Derek hissed, pulling his arm back and staring at Jackson in shock. The Hale boy did what he could to keep himself calm and letting the Alpha retaliate towards his mate. "Jackson," Derek said again, his voice stern.

"It's cancer," Jackson blurted out, looking up at Derek with wide eyes.

"What?" Derek asked, his breath catching in his chest.

"ALL; Acute lymphoblastic leukemia. They said I'm kind of old for it and it normally hits younger kids more but it's possible in teens and adults." Jackson stared at his hands some more, trying to keep them from shaking so much.

"How bad?" Derek asked, his breath hitching had he held Jackson closer.

"Stage 2…" Jackson trailed off again, taking deep breaths. "So I guess it be worse." The two wolves sat in each other's embrace, neither one of them saying anything. Finally Jackson broke the silence. "Why?" he asked.

"Why what? " Derek asked, running his thumb over the back of Jackson's hand.

"Why doesn't my body just heal itself? What good is being a werewolf when you can't even ave yourself from a disease like this. I mean, it healed Scott when he had the flu last week. And you've never had a cold in your life! Why…Why can't my body do it? I'm a werewolf too!"

Derek sighed, holding Jackson tighter in his arms. He placed a kiss on Jackson's forehead and sighed. "I don't know J. I really don't know." Jackson broke down then, fat tear drops falling out of his eyes as he gasped for breath.

"I'm going to die," he moaned, his mind on the verge of a panic attack. "I don't want to die, God, I don't want to die!" Derek held him close, whispering "shh" and "it's okay" into the teens ear as he rocked him back and forth. Jackson fell asleep in his arms, hiccupping every so often as his body still shook. Derek carried him home before his parents got off work, not wanting to have to face the Whittemore's when they found out their perfect son was so horribly sick.

"Ruth," Derek panted into the older wolf's voicemail as he cut through the woods home. "You've got to call me back Ruth. This is serious. It's cancer, Ruth, and his wolf isn't healing it. I need to know what to do now. Please."

Derek collapsed onto the couch with his head in his hands. What use was being a werewolf if you couldn't save the ones you love?

**AN**: _I hope you liked it. There was all kinds of .gifs of Jackson looking sickly floating around tumblr and this just popped into my head. Please review!_


	2. Chapter 2

_I don't own Teen Wolf._

**No One Does It Better: Chapter 2**

Jackson stood at his locker in the locker room, staring longingly at his practice jersey. His head hurt and he wanted nothing more than to get away from his screaming teammates. He looked up, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw Coach Finstock walk into the room.

"Start out with the three mile loop!" he yelled over his chatting team. "And I'll know if you walk any of it!" The rest of the team groaned, pulling on their tennis shoes and leaving most of their pads in their lockers. Jackson sighed, pulling his bookbag off the ground and throwing it over his shoulder.

"Hey coach?" he asked, fallowing the shorter man to his office.

"Whittemore? Why aren't you dressed for practice? You've already missed three in less than a week." Jackson bit his lip, turning his head as he let out a shaky breath.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked, his breath hitching. "It's…It's important." Coach Finstock searched his co-captains face before sighing. He nodded, gesturing towards his office.

"What's going on, Jackson?" He said, shutting the door behind them.

"Um…here's my note from yesterday…." He said, sliding the doctor's slip across the table. Finstock nodded, adding it to the two from the week before.

"Glad to see it's not mono," the coach said, lowering himself into his desk chair. "They tell you what's wrong?"

"Um, yeah…" Jackson said, gripping the armrests of the chair tightly. "Coach…Coach I have to quit the team."

"Excuse me?" Coach Finstock said, his eyebrows raising in disbelief. "Did I just hear you right?"

"I know…I don't want to, you've got to believe me I don't want to. It's just this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better and and and…" Jackson trailed off, his eyes trained on his hands in his lap to keep the tears in his eyes from being evident.

"Jackson," Finstock said quietly, the worry clear in his voice. "Jackson, buddy, what's wrong?"

"I have c-c-cancer," Jackson stuttered out, still not looking up. "Stage 2 ALL."

"Shit," the lacrosse coach whispered, his eyes wide. "God Jackson, I'm sorry."

"I don't want to quit, Coach. I really don't. I just…"

"No it's okay. You take care of yourself and get yourself healthy again, okay? But we're happy to keep you around. I won't degrade you enough to call you a water boy, but maybe you can give some advice to the others about practice and techniques and what not. That sound okay?"

"I-uh-yeah. Yeah, that sounds fine. I'll be there when I can. I'm not sure when I'm starting treatment…Mom's making my appointment with the cancer center today…" The tears had dried up in Jackson's eyes and he worked on keeping his voice even.

"Okay, you just let me know. Whenever you want to come around; we'll always have room for you on the sidelines."

"My jersey…I'll bring it to you tomorrow…" Jackson let out a shuttering breath.

"No, you keep it Jackson. It's yours." Jackson nodded, slowly raising to his feet.

"Hey coach?" He asked as paused at the door. "Can you not tell anyone? I haven't even told Danny yet and I don't want him to hear from someone else…"

"Your secrets safe with me, Whittemore. Good luck, kid."

"Jackson Whittemore?" a nurse at the cancer center called out. Jackson, who had had his eyes closed and his head leaning back against the wall sighed as his mother squeezed his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Right this way," Rachel, the nurse, said with an overly cheerful look on her face.

Dr. Reames had sent Jackson to the cancer center at Beacon Hills General, claiming he would get the best treatment there. His mother, Carol, had been surprised as to get him in so soon; she had called on Tuesday and got him an appointment for Wednesday morning. He was missing his third period class, chemistry, and his mind kept wondering to how behind he was already. He let out a shaky breath as his mother placed a hand at the small of his back. He looked down on the smaller woman, giving her a small smile.

"Go ahead and have a seat on the table for me, Jackson," Rachel said with a smile, fixing a blood pressure cuff on his arm. His mother kept sending him reassuring smiles as she watched on but Jackson couldn't bring himself to smile back anymore. "Well that wraps up my part. Dr. Woodhouse will be in in a few moments."

"Everything's going to be okay, Jax," his mom said once their alone. "I'm sure we've caught this early enough and after a little chemo you'll be fine." Jackson snorted, rolling his eyes. Who said things like that? 'A little chemo?' That was like saying a little death. The two blonde's stayed quiet until a tall, fit man knocked on the door and entered the room.

"You must be Jackson," he said, offering his hand to the teen on the table. "Dr. Walter Woodhouse. Pleased to meet you and your mother."

"I wish it was on better circumstances," Carol said, her face pale as she shook his hand.

"Yes, yes. Well let's see what we know and what we need to find out." He pulled Jackson's file into his lap and read through a couple pages. He rattled off a list of Jackson's symptoms and explained the results from the blood samples. Jackson looked on with a raised eyebrow at how different his blood sample looked under a microscope compared to how a 'normal' sample looked. "I still want to do a lumbar puncture to make sure his spinal cord or central nervous system have not been invaded."

"When can we do that?" Carol asked, causing Jackson to role his eyes again. She had always been an anxious person, ever since they brought him home from the group home.

"If you have no objections we can do it today. We'll have to numb the area and you'll be pretty sore for a couple days, but it will give us the results sooner." Jackson sighed but nodded his head, knowing his mother would force him into it anyway.

"Now, I have some family history questions. Is there a history of cancer in the family?" Jackson froze, closing his eyes to block out the horrible feeling. His mother shot him a pitting look before turning back to Dr. Woodhouse.

"Jackson is adopted, doctor. There were never any family history information in his files from the adoption agency." There was a moment of awkward silence before the doctor cleared his throat and continued talking.

"Well that counts any other questions I have. Not as important. It may prove a bit tricky should Jackson need a bone marrow transplant, but we'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it. Now, regardless of the results of the lumbar puncture, we'll start chemo next week. At the beginning we'll do it through an IV in your arm, but we will eventually need to implant a port to keep your veins from breaking down. I'm also going to start you on a few medications to aid in the chemo process; a steroid to help keep down swelling and pain, and another medication to help slow the growth of anymore cancer cells. As your treatment progress I'll add pain medication as you need them. I'm also going to give you a prescription for Zofran to aide in any nausea you may suffer. We'll start the chemo treatments at twice a week. We can do them after school for now. We'll do regular scans once every few weeks to see how the treatment is helping. Do you have any questions?"

"Am I going to lose my hair?" Jackson asked, flinching when he realized how shallow he sounded.

"Hair loss is a side effect of chemotherapy, yes. I'll send some pamphlets home with you so you can read up on what you're going to be experiencing. Now, I'm going to take your mother to discuss some things and Rachel is going to come back and prep you for the lumbar puncture. I'll be back once the anesthetic has taken effect." Jackson nodded, biting his cheek as he watched his mother leave the room with the tall doctor. Rachel entered a few moments later, a tray of supplies in her hand.

"Okay Jackson, I'm going to need you to take your shirt off. You're pants are fine to stay on." Jackson took a shaky breath as he pulled his shirt over his head and gently tossed it onto the bench where his mother had been sitting. "You can stay where you're sitting, I just need you to ben over with your head towards your knees. Good." Jackson did as she asked, flinching when her cold hands pushed him further down so his back was bared. He let out a hiss as a cold sponge was rubbed over a spot above his L-4 and L-5. "That's just iodine to keep the area clean, sweetheart. Now you're going to feel a little pinch; that'll be the needle for the anesthetic. It'll take about ten minutes for it to take full effect and then Dr. Woodhouse will be back to finish the procedure." Jackson closed his eyes against the pinch of the needle entering his skin and nodded his head when Rachel patted his shoulder signaling he could sit up. "Just sit tight and Dr. Woodhouse will be back soon."

Jackson dug his phone out of his pocket and sent Derek a quick text; 'had to have some tests done and won't be able to drive tonight. Come see me later?' He bit his lip as his back started to feel weird as the numbing agent took effect. He stretched, digging his hands into his knees. His head hurt and he hadn't really slept the night before and he just wanted to go home. He jumped slightly when his phone buzzed; 'just let me know when the coast is clear-d.' He smiled at his phone before slipping it back into his pocket.

"Okay, how about we get this over with?" Dr. Woodhouse said with a small smile as he reentered the room. Your mother is out in the waiting room." Jackson nodded, his nerves starting to get to him. "I'm going to need you to move to the edge of the bed and bend over like you're going to hug your legs. Good, just like that. Now keep your neck as straight as possible. You shouldn't feel any pain, but there will be some pressure that may seem a bit uncomfortable, okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, okay," Jackson said, his voice tight.

"Try not to tense up or hold your breath any, that will just give us false readings. Take a deep breath and then we'll get started." Jackson did as he was told, shutting his eyes and focusing on not tensing up. He could feel the doctor's gloved hand on his back, glad he could barely feel the needle at all. That was, however until, he felt the first amount of pressure. "The needle has to pass two different layers until we can get to the spinal fluid," Dr. Woodhouse said quietly as he gently pushed the needle further into Jackson's spine. "Deep breaths Jackson. Keep breathing."

"Fuck," Jackson mumbled as he dug his fingers into his legs. He felt more pressure as he assumed the needle passed through the second layer.

"Almost done," the doctor said as he slowly pulled the plunger of the needle back to get enough of the needed fluid. "Deep breaths, Jackson. That's it. Deep breaths."

"Mmm," Jackson whimpered, tears filling his eyes. He let out a sigh of relief as the needle was slowly removed from his back, Dr. Woodhouse placing a small piece of cotton onto the hole when he was done.

"Be sure to keep this area clean while it heals, Jackson," the young man said as he taped a piece of gauze over the area. "I'll turn in your sample now and we should have the results in a couple days. Like I said, you'll probably be pretty sore while this heals up. We'll have a wheelchair to help you out to your car today."

"I can walk," Jackson mumbled, sitting up slowly. He carefully moved to slid off the table and almost fell once he got to his feet.

"Trust me, you're going to want the wheelchair." Almost as if that was her cue, Rachel reentered the room, pushing a wheelchair in front of her. Jackson sighed, taking his shirt from the doctor who has holding it out to him. He let the nurse help him pull the material back over his head and let her steer him by his arm into the chair. He kept his head down as he was lead back to the waiting room where his mother was standing, an appointment card already in her hand.

"Let's get you home, Jax," she said with a small smile as she lead Rachel out to the car. "I'll even make your favorite for dinner tonight; lasagna.

Jackson kept quiet, not mentioning that his favorite was meatloaf, not lasagna. Even after twelve years she still didn't know him, not really.

"I'm fine, mom," Jackson mumbled as he slowly climbed the stairs. The anesthetic was wearing off his back and his knuckles were turning white from his grip on the railing.

"Are you sure? I can draw you a bath; a nice soak might feel nice." Carol hesitated at the foot of the stairs, the worry on her face clear.

"I just want to lay down. Seriously, I'm fine. I've got the pills in my pocket. I'll take them. You don't have to follow me." Jackson let out a sigh of relief as he shut his door. He smiled slightly at the Alpha who was perched on the edge of his bed.

"J," Derek mumbled, jumping to his feet and moving to hug the teenager. Jackson tensed in his arms, his back throbbing in pain. "What's wrong?"

"You ever have a lumbar puncture?" Jackson asked in a tense voice. Jackson moved passed Derek and lowered himself gently onto the bed. He leaned back, pulling two pill bottles out of his pocket and placing them on his bedside table. Derek raised an eyebrow, reaching out to read the labels.

"Methotrexate? Prednisone? What are these for?" He perched on the edge of the bed when Jackson lay down with a groan.

"Prednisone's to prevent swelling and pain. It's a steroid I think he said. Methotrexate is to help shrink the cancer cells and to prevent more from forming." Jackson closed his eyes, nuzzling into Derek's surprisingly cold hands. "Chemo starts next Tuesday."

"Fuck, that soon?" Derek asked, his brows raising in concern.

"Much rather get it started and get it over with, honestly," Jackson said with a small, tired smile. He groaned when his phone went off.

"I'm coming over. No objections. Something's up, I can tell," the message read and Jackson sighed. 'I'm fine, leave it.' He texted back, ignoring Derek's grin.

"I'm already outside," the text read back and Jackson swore under his breath.

"Danny's here," he mumbled and Derek laughed, climbing to his feet.

"I'll be out on the roof. I'll hear when he leaves." Jackson nodded, closing his eyes as he heard his mother talking to Danny down stairs. Next there were quiet footsteps on the stairs and a light knock on his door before it swung open.

"Okay, what's going on? You're mother looks like she's been sobbing for hours."

"Can't have been hours," Jackson said without opening his eyes. "We've only been home for like twenty minutes tops." Danny sighed, dropping down next to Jackson on the bed. Jackson held his breath as the movement sent a surge of pain up his spine. He let out a shaky breath, refusing to start the conversation.

"You keep missing practice. I mean you haven't been there in like five days? Coach is going to replace you as co-captain soon."

"I quit the team," Jackson said quietly, staring up at his ceiling.

"What the fuck, Jax?" Danny asked, raising up on one elbow. "What's going on with you."

"I'm gay," Jackson answered, that somehow being the most important thing to discuss at the moment.

"Well that's not what I was expecting," Danny said with a whistle. "Drugs, yes. Homosexual tendencies, no."

"Yeah, well, I didn't really expect it out of you, either." Jackson said, a small grin on his face as he shut his eyes. "I've got a boyfriend. We've been together for like…" Jackson trialed off, counting in his head. "For like three months now? Just seemed like it was time to tell you of all people."

"This isn't why you quit the team, is it? Because I mean, I don't get any shit about being gay; there's no way they'd give you any."

"No, that's not why I quit. It just seemed important to tell you." Jackson ran a hand over his face, staying quiet as Danny just stared at him, waiting for him to talk.

"Well? Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Danny asked after a full five minutes of silence. That's why Jackson liked Danny so much; they could sit for hours of silence and understand each other more than if they talked. Finally Jackson sighed.

"Cancer," he said simply, not looking at his best friend. Danny took in a deep breath, looking at Jackson with wide eyes.

"Excuse me?" he said, his hand on Jackson's arm.

"Acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Otherwise known as ALL. Stage 2 ALL to be exact. I start chemo next week. Woo." Jackson spoke in monotone, his eyes shut to avoid meeting Danny's worried glare.

"Fuck," Danny whispered, flopping back down on the bed, making Jackson gasp in pain again.

"Can you stop moving? They did a lumbar puncture on me earlier and just breathing hurts let alone you flopping around on the fucking bed."

"Fuck," Danny said a again, and Jackson hmm'd in response.

"Hey, if I get a wish I'll bring you to Disney Land with me," he said quietly, grinning when Danny snorted beside him.

"God, you would be a cliché who would waste their Make a Wish on Disney Land. Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Shut up," Jackson said with a laugh, peeking up at Danny who was leaning on his elbow again.

"Are you going to be okay?" Danny asked, his voice serious again.

"I don't know. I mean, I guess they found it kind of early. I mean it could be stage four, right? We'll just have to see how chemo goes."

"I'm sorry, Jax," Danny whispered, laying his head on Jackson's shoulder.

"It's fine, D," he whispered back. "As long as you stick around I think I'll be okay."

The two boy's stayed together until Danny's mom called and Jackson had drifted off to sleep. Derek slipped back into his boyfriend's room shortly after Danny pulled away. He carefully moved Jackson around on the bed so he could cover the thin boy up. He carefully climbed into bed next to him, checking his phone before he put an arm over Jackson's hips. Still no call from Ruth. Still no suggestion on how to fix this. Derek was completely out of his element.

_**AN**__: I hope you liked it. Please review. _


	3. Chapter 3

_I don't own Teen Wolf. _

**No One Does It Better: Chapter 3**

"Seriously?" Jackson asked, staring up at Derek with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yes seriously," Derek answered, putting his phone on Jackson's bedside table. "They all deserve to know before it hits the rumor mill at school."

"Are you talking about the cancer or us dating?" Jackson asked, a small laugh escaping him when Derek glared at him.

"Well I was talking about the cancer…But if you want it can be about us, too…" Jackson lifted his head up, letting Derek slip his arm behind the teen's neck before he laidback down. "I'll leave that up to you."

"Lydia can already smell it," Jackson mumbled, letting his eyes slip shut. "She keeps looking at me weird. And I'm sure if Scott wasn't an idiot he'd figure it out, too. Fuck, Stiles doesn't even have werewolf senses and I think he can tell. We might as well just get it out in the open."

"Okay," Derek whispered, kissing Jackson's forehead as the teen rolled over onto his side, nuzzling into Derek's side.

"Can…can we tell Danny?" He asked quietly. "About the pack I mean. He's trustful, Derek, I swear he is. He won't tell anyone. I just don't like keeping things from him…" Derek tensed in Jackson's arms, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. "Forget it…Forget I even asked." Jackson let out a sigh of disappointment as he stilled in his mates arms.

"No, it's okay. We can tell him. I suggest before pack meeting so that way he can sit in on it. Want to text him now? We're meeting everyone else out at the house at nine." Jackson sat up slowly, his eyes wide.

"Seriously?" He asked, searching Derek's face for any chance he was lying.

"Why not? You need a confidant that's not me, a girl, or dumb and dumber. And from what I can tell, Danny's a good guy. If you trust him, I trust him too. Shoot him a text." Jackson grinned kissing Derek slowly.

"Thank you, Derek," Jackson whispered, slipping out of his bed and grabbing his phone, his thumbs already flying as he limped out of his bedroom.

.*.*.*.

"You still sore?" Danny asked, gracelessly dropping to the ground next to Jackson under the tree in the Whittemore's back yard. Jackson leaned forward, pushing up his shirt to show Danny the bruise that covered most of the small of his back.

"I'm probably going to need you to get me off the ground when this is over," he said, hissing as he leaned back against the tree. "Um, I need to tell you something…"

"There's more?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean just last night you told me you're gay and that you have cancer. I already know you're adopted. What else more could you possibly have to tell me, Jax?" Danny looked at his best friend in worry, his brow furrowed.

"I want you to know, you're not going to believe this. And I swear I'm not on drugs; they haven't given me any of the good stuff yet so I'm not hallucinating. And it took a lot of convincing and questioning on my part to even convince Der to let me tell you."

"Jackson, what's going on?" Jackson let out a sigh, staring at his hands. He hadn't shifted since the full moon last month and he wasn't sure he could fully do it now that his symptoms had intensified. He looked up at the house, making sure his mother wasn't watching them from the window like she tended to do.

"Don't freak out," he mumbled to Danny as he let his eyes drift close. He knew that the normally green eyes were shining turquoise and he could feel his nails growing into points. His fangs grew out, the uppers hanging outside his lips. His hair grew out, covering the sides of his face as his ears grew to points. He let out a shaky breath before turning to Danny. Even with his vision red and blurry he could tell Danny was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Holy fuck," Danny whispered, reaching out to touch Jackson's pointed ears. "I knew they were real." Jackson took another deep breath before switching back, panting and grasping his stomach in pain.

"Ow," he moaned. "Remind me not to do that again unless I have to." He coughed, turning to look at Danny. "Wait, did you just say you knew they were real?"

"Last year when you were acting all weird, Stiles was even worse. Had me hack some computers for him and some weird files. He had his cousin Miquel with him, which later turned out to be Derek Hale. Something just told me all his gibberish and mumbling was real. So how long have you been a werewolf?" Danny asked, blinking at Jackson who kept staring at him with wide eyes.

"Uh, since April?" He said, shaking his head to clear his mind. "Right after all those animal attacks and Allison's Aunt Kate ended up dead. Mind you, he didn't want to change me. I was kind of a pain in the ass until he did it." Jackson bent his knees, pulling his legs up to his chest. "Speaking of Derek Hale…That boyfriend I told you about? Well it's Derek. We're…We're mates? I guess that's the wolf terminology. Since about May, I think? He became the Alpha that night Kate died and it just kind of happened."

"It's October. You've been a werewolf since April and you didn't tell me? Even better, you've had a boyfriend since May and you're just now coming out to me? Really Jax?" Danny said, shaking his head.

"You're were with someone for almost two years before you came out to me! Don't even try to guilt me." Danny flinched, being reminded of his failed relationship with Josh.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay. So why are you telling me about your wolfy business now?" Danny asked, leaning back on his elbows to watch Jackson as he took deep breaths with his eyes closed.

"Pack meeting in about an hour," Jackson mumbled, rubbing at his temples. "Derek seems to think I need a confidant about all of this. And at this rate the only people I could talk about everything-including being a werewolf- were him, two girls, and Scott and Stiles. Hence you finding out."

"And what's the pack meeting about?" Danny asked.

"Me dying," Jackson said simply.

"You're not dying," Danny hissed, his brow furrowed.

"Yeah, well not yet. Derek seems to think I need to tell them before they find out from someone else. Not that I care about Scott and Stiles. Lydia though…"

"Wait, Lydia's a werewolf, too?" Jackson laughed.

"Yeah. Got turned when she was attacked at formal. Scott got turned the day before school started last year. Allison and Stiles are still human though. Allison's family are werewolf hunters, though, so that makes for fun family nights."

"What a mess," Danny said with a chuckle. "It's almost nine. Where do we need to go for this pack meeting?"

"Derek's," Jackson said simply. "He should already be there. Help me?" Danny snorted, reaching a hand out and pulling Jackson off the ground as gently as possible.

"Fuck," Jackson whimpered, his hand going to his back. "Is it bad that all I want to do is sleep?" he whispered as he limped to Danny's truck, groaning as he tried to climb inside.

"Not yet, bud. We've got to go tell your pack. Hey, can does this mean I'm part of the pack? Or do I have to be changed? Will Derek change me? I want to be changed before Stiles; I mean the kids a spaz." Jackson laughed, letting his head fall back against the head rest.

"Take it up with Derek," was all Jackson said, letting the wind blow over him as Danny sped to the old Hale property.

.*.*.*.*.*.

"Is this going to take long?" Scott whined. "Allison had an eleven o'clock curfew and this is cutting into our limited us time."

"Shut up, McCall," Derek growled, pushing Scott onto the futon they had added a month previous. Allison laughed, dropping down next to him. Stiles was sitting on the floor, a book open in his lap. He kept flipping the page every couple seconds and Allison smiled as she rubbed his head.

"He's had a lot of Adderall today," she explained to the Alpha that had a brow raised. "Only way he can stay quiet that long."

Derek sighed, running a hand through his hair as he nodded over to the couch as Lydia entered the room. The red head nodded, dropping down onto the futon next to Scott.

"What's this about?" she asked, her tone bored as she looked at her nails.

"Wait until Jackson gets here," He said quietly, his head perking up as he heard Danny's truck pull into the drive way. Jackson's posture was straight and Derek could tell he was trying not to limp as he crossed the room. He gently lowered himself into the lawn chair next to the futon, ignoring the wide eyed looks his friends gave him when Danny walked in.

"What's he doing here?" Scott asked, moving to stand up, cursing when he tripped over Stiles.

"He knows," Derek said simply, sighing as he slipped down to the ground in front of Jackson.

"Can we get this started?" Lydia asked. "I have an AP English paper to write before bed."

Derek reached a hand back, squeezing Jackson's calf as the blonde took a deep breath.

"Which do I start with?" he muttered to Derek, knowing that both Lydia and Scott could hear him.

"Us, probably. It'll be easier." Jackson nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Derek and I are mates," he blurted out. Stiles dropped his book, his eyes going wide. Allison smiled, her cheeks hurting from how big it was. Lydia cocked her head to the side, a knowing look on her face. Scott sputtered, looking around at everyone.

"What the fuck?" He finally blurted out, his eyes wide. Derek growled, but Jackson reached a hand out and squeezed his mate's shoulders.

"We're mates, Scott," Derek said through clinched teeth. "Just like you and Allison. It's not like we have much control over it."

"Is he still shit in bed?" Lydia asked, looking at her nails again.

"Hey!" Jackson asked, outraged. "I wasn't bad!" Danny laughed, ducking his head when Jackson glared at him.

"Maybe it was because I didn't have the right plumbing," She said with a shrug, grinning when Allison laughed, too.

"Not that it's any of your business, but we haven't got that far yet," Derek said simply, squeezing Jackson's leg again. "Keep going, J." he whispered.

"Keep going? What else could you have to tell us?" Scott asked, his eyes going wide again. Jackson bit his lip, looking down at his hands in his lap. He finally took a deep breath and looked up to the waiting gaze of his pack.

"I have cancer," he said, pleased that his breath didn't hitch nor did he stutter at all. He looked around, flinching at the horrified look on Stiles' face. His mind screamed at him, reminding him that the teens mother had died of cancer when they were in third grade. Lydia was staring at him, her face equally as horrified as Stiles. Scott looked torn between opening his mouth and comforting Allison. Danny reached back and squeezed Jackson's arm in comfort as Derek stared at his feet.

"When did you find this out?" Lydia asked, her voice loud.

"Monday," Jackson said quietly, looking up to meet her eyes. "Only coach and Danny knew before you guys."

"Is that why you smell different?" Scott asked dumbly, his head cocked to the side. Derek growled and Danny snorted, ducking his head to avoid Jackson's glare. "No really; I mean I know what you normally smell like. Even when I thought I could smell Derek on you, it still smelled like you. But lately you've smelled like something different. Like there was something covering up your smell."

"It's the cancer," Lydia said, her eyes still wide as she stared at her ex. "You can probably smell the cancer." Jackson ducked his head, shrugging his shoulders.

"Why aren't you healing?" Stiles asked quietly, staring at his hands. Jackson bit his lip, amazed at how quiet the normally spastic teen was. "You're a werewolf. Scott could heal the flu. Derek's never sick. Only reason it took Lydia so long to heal was because she was brutally attacked. Why aren't you healing?" Allison reached out, squeezing his shoulder. She seemed to have the same thought Jackson did; the sheriff's son was thinking of his mom. "Why isn't he healing?" he asked, his voice cracking as he looked at Derek.

"I don't know," Derek said quietly. "I have a friend looking into but she hasn't gotten back to me yet…."

"Stiles…" Jackson trailed off, his wolf whining at the thought of someone of his pack crying. "I…" he didn't know what to say. 'I'll be fine' seemed like a cheap lie, and 'there's nothing to worry about' just seemed stupid. There was plenty to worry about.

"I've got to go," the teen whispered, picking up his book and climbing to his feet. "I've got to meet dad at the diner. Wednesday night tradition and stuff. I'll talk to you guys later." He stumbled to the door, not looking back.

"Well that went well," Jackson mumbled, rubbing tiredly at his face.

"He'll be okay," Scott said, staring at his friend in worry. "It's seven years since his mom died and he still doesn't do well talking about cancer. He and his dad were a mess when his mom died and I don't think they've really gotten back to a hundred percent. But really, he'll be fine. Give him time."

"When do you start treatment?" Allison asked, her face full of worry.

"What kind of cancer?" Lydia asked at the same time.

"What will you do about the full moons during chemo?" Scott asked, his eyes wide.

Jackson could feel his breath getting shallow. He was pretty sure he was having a panic attack and he couldn't stop freaking out enough to answer the questions. Derek sighed, rubbing his hand up and down Jackson's leg. The Alpha took a deep breath, answering for his mate.

"He starts chemo next Tuesday," he said, nodding at Allison. "He has ALL; Acute…Acute…"

"Acute lymphoblastic leukemia," Danny answered helpfully and Derek nodded his thanks. "And as for the full moon…I don't know. I'll…I'll have to ask Ruth that too. I mean the next full moon is next Wednesday…"

"Fuck…" Jackson mumbled.

"I thought Jackson had already learned to control himself during the moon?" Lydia asked, talking like Jackson wasn't even there.

"I can't guarantee he'll be strong enough to do it after chemo," Derek said quietly, trying to send pleasant thoughts to Jackson through their bond.

"Are we going to have to chain him up? Stiles tried to do that with me once and I broke the chains. I bet you have some secret way to make it work though, right? I mean we can't have him running around town eating people," Scott rambled, taking over Stiles' place as the talkative teen.

"Shut up, McCall," Jackson and Derek growled at the same time.

"We'll figure something out," Derek said quietly, more to Jackson than anyone else. "It'll be okay. Just don't worry about it right now." Jackson swallowed thickly, nodding at his mate.

"Can I go home?" he mumbled and Derek nodded, climbing to his feet to help Jackson up. Scott hissed from across the room when he saw the bruise on Jackson's back.

"Dude…" he said, climbing to his feet.

"Let it go, McCall," Derek growled, keeping an arm on Jackson's elbow as he led him out to Danny's truck. "I'll be around later. Get some sleep."

.*.*.*.*.*.

Saturday night, Jackson sat with feet propped up on his footboard of his bed. His back was still a little sore, this being the only position that really helped. He looked up, a small grin on his face as Derek slid into his window.

"Hey you," he whispered, sitting up slowly. Derek stepped in between Jackson's legs, his hands on either side of Jackson's face as he kissed the teen.

"How's your day been?" Derek asked, gently laying Jackson back as he straddled him. Jackson deepened the kiss, a small whimper escaping him as he wrapped his hand around the back of Derek's neck.

"I want to do it," Jackson whispered, ignoring Derek's question. "I want you to fuck me."

"Jackson…" Derek whispered, trying to pull away. Will

"No, I know I'm young. But I'm almost eighteen. I'm definitely at the age of consent. And I don't want to wait anymore. I mean I start chemo in three days and we both know I won't be able to enjoy it. Please, Derek. I'm ready."

"You realize there's almost six years between us, right?" Derek whispered. "This will make me look like a dirty old man…"

"Derek…" Jackson whimpered. "Please… I just want to enjoy it…"

Derek let out a shaky breath, slowly climbing off of Jackson. Jackson let out a moan of disappointment at the loss, thinking he had lost. He watched Derek cross the room and flip the lock on his door. He cocked a brow as he watched his mate cross his room to his desk, pulling open the secret drawer where Jackson kept his supply of condoms and lube.

"Der…" he said, his eyebrows going up in shock.

"You win," he whispered, reaching out to pull Jackson's sweatpants off. Jackson grinned, taking his shirt off. He smiled lazily as he watched Derek slip out of his jeans, his cock already hard. Derek reached out, bending Jackson's knees so he could get to his entrance. He ripped open the condom with his teeth, rolling it on with practiced ease. He squirted lube into his hand and got his fingers slick.

"You ever do something like this before?" The Alpha whispered as he carefully pushed one finger into Jackson. Jackson's breath hitched and the teen shook his head.

"Never with a guy," he whispered, a moan escaping him as another finger was pushed into him.

"Do I need to walk you through it?" Derek whispered, his mouth close to Jackson's ear. Jackson shook his head.

"Danny I went through a gay porn phase before I found out about his boyfriend. Just keep moving." Derek chuckled, one last finger pushing into Jackson. Finally he decided Jackson was ready.

"Tell me if it's too much," Derek whispered, rubbing a bit of lube on the condom before pushing into the teen as slow as possible. Jackson's breath hitched again, his fingers digging into Jackson's forearms. Derek silently thanked god that Jackson wasn't shifting; the last thing he needed were more wolf nails in his body.

"God," Jackson panted, trying to keep himself from tensing.

"You okay?" Derek asked. Jackson nodded, his breath coming out faster.

"Move. Move faster. Please, Der…Just move." Derek grinned, moving faster. Jackson could feel a twinge in his back and his joints were screaming in agony, but he ignored the feeling. They didn't last long, Jackson coming all over his and Derek's stomachs, Derek coming a few thrusts later.

"Mmm," he whimpered when Derek buried his face in Jackson's shoulders. "That was amazing…"

"Well maybe Lydia was right, she didn't have the right plumbing," Derek said with a chuckle, licking at the pulse point on Jackson's neck.

"I love you," Jackson whispered, his eyes shut. Derek paused for a moment, panic flicking through him. He let out a shuttering breath, placing a light kiss on Jackson's lips.

"Love you, too. Now take your meds." Jackson snorted, rolling over on his side and popping open the pill bottles waiting there. Derek sighed, throwing an arm over Jackson's waist as the teen fell asleep. What was he getting himself in to?

.*.*.*.*.*.

_**AN**__: I hope you liked it! Please review_


	4. Chapter 4

_I don't own Teen Wolf._

**No One Does it Better: Chapter 4.**

"I'm done with emotional confessions. I'm done. No more," Jackson said, throwing himself gracelessly onto his bed.

"Does this mean you told your parents?" Derek asked from Jackson's desk where he was playing on the teen's laptop.

"I didn't hear them screaming about how you're an abomination, so I'm taking it that everything went okay?" Danny asked, flipping through his chemistry notes on from where he sat on Jackson's futon.

"When have they ever looked down on me for anything?" Jackson mumbled, popping a pill to fight nausea into his mouth. "I don't deserve them, really…"

"What did they say?" Derek asked, spinning around to face Jackson.

"That they loved me and supported me no matter what happened. Dad asked if I had a boyfriend and when they could meet him. Which, by the way, Derek. If and when I end up in the hospital, it'll probably be easier for you to get in if my parents actually knew who you were…"

"Um excuse me; I was born a werewolf which means I'm naturally stealthy. I could get in with or without their permission." Derek said, crossing his arms over his chest. Danny bit his lip, trying not to smile.

"I'd much rather you have their permission," Jackson said quietly, hugging his knees close to his chest. "If that's not too much to ask…" Derek sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"No, you're right J. I'll be on my best behavior."

"Good. I told them you'd be over for dinner some time…After the full moon of course. Aaaannnnddd speaking of the full moon…" Jackson trailed off, lifting a brow at his mate.

"You're staying at my place," Danny said, not looking up from his notes.

"Excuse me?" Jackson asked, cocking a brow at his best friend. "Because locking up a werewolf with a human is an awesome plan."

"You're not really staying with him," Derek answered, a small grin on his face. "We're going to tell your parents that so they'll let you go. I doubt they'd be gun ho about letting you stay with the boyfriend they've never met. And then once they think you're at Danny's, I'll come get you and take you out to the woods."

"And what makes you think my parents are going to let me go anywhere the day after my first chemo treatment?" Jackson asked, rubbing at his face. "And do I really have to go to the woods? I repeat, first chemo treatment the day before."

"When have they ever told you 'no,' Jax?" Danny asked, finally looking up from his notes. "Besides your parents love me."

"We'll stick close to the house, J," Derek said quietly once Danny had finished. "I won't make you track or anything. Just keep you from tearing apart my already ruined house."

"Fine…" Jackson said, pushing himself off the bed. "Hate to kick you out Danny, but I'm crashing," he mumbled pulling off his shirt.

"Does that translate into I want to make out with my boyfriend?" Danny asked, putting his notebook in his bag as he climbed to his feet.

"Maybe that, too," Jackson said with a smirk, causing Derek to chuckle.

"Ew," Danny said simply, giving Jackson a quick one armed hug. "See you guys later."

Jackson barely had time to swallow his pills before Derek was jumping him, pinning him to the bed with his lips at Jackson's neck.

"What are you doing?" the jock asked with a smirk.

"Taking advantage of you before you start treatment. Now shut up and kiss me." Jackson grinned, using all his strength to roll them so he was on top of Derek. The beta growled, nipping at Derek's neck.

"I love you," Jackson whispered again, his posture tense. Derek didn't hesitate this time.

"I love you, too."

.*.*.*.*.

For some reason, Jackson had been convinced that he could keep the cancer a secret. He was sure that he could keep everyone from knowing until his hair fell out and he had to be taken out of school. He definitely didn't think that the whole school would know before he even had his first treatment.

It started when he went to drop off his note in the office. Dr. Woodhouse had given his mother a stack of excuse slips, each on marked with a date of a scheduled chemo treatment. Jackson would just have to give the note to the office and get an early release slip from Janet, the secretary who was friends with his grandmother.

Janet was always the one to take his excuse slips; anything from doctor's appointments, chiropractor appointments, and last minute family vacations where Carol would decide that morning to pull Jackson out of school early. She always smiled at him, her eyes barely scanning the note as she filled out the little pink slip. That day Jackson expected it to be just like any other time. Of course, his luck wasn't with him.

The phones were ringing off the hook as Jackson entered the office. Janet was on the phone, jotting down names of who wouldn't be at school. Sarah, the other secretary was doing the same. That left a young girl, probably Jackson's age, to take his note from him. Jackson bit his lip; she looked so familiar but he couldn't remember her name.

"Liz, just fill the form out for him and I'll sign it," Janet called out, her hand over the receiver of the phone. That's when it hit Jackson why the girl look so familiar; she was his eighth grade girlfriend. Obviously they hadn't lasted long.

The blonde kept his thumb over the words 'cancer center' as he handed over the note. Liz looked up, meeting his eyes as she took it. He watched as she wrote his name in loopy script, the words 'doctor apt.' going on the proper line. She gave him a smug look as she turned and handed the note to Janet just as the secretary hung up her phone.

"I hope everything goes okay, Jax," she said, signing her name. "Tell your grandmother I said hello."

"Yes ma'am," Jackson said, nodding his head as he tried to take the slip back from Liz. She paused for a moment, searching his face for something. Finally she gave him a fake smile, dropping the sip in front of him.

"Have a good day, Jackson," she said, turning her back as he walked away.

He didn't think anything of it until after third people when everyone seemed to be whispering behind his back. People he didn't know were giving him pitting looks, and teachers he knew he hadn't told gave him extensions on homework that he didn't need. And all Jackson could think of was Liz had told. He threw himself into a seat next to Lydia at the lunch table.

"Um…not to alarm you…" Scott said quietly, looking around at everyone who seemed to be staring at them. "But I think everyone knows…"

"No shit, McCall," Jackson growled, taking a bite of his apple.

"Care to explain how everyone knows?" Lydia asked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

"Remember that girl I dated in eighth grade?" He asked. Lydia raised a brow while Scott looked at him like he was stupid. Stiles was MIA and Danny was sitting with his boyfriend, leaving the three werewolves and Allison together.

"You really thought that was enough of a description for me to figure out what you're talking about?" Lydia asked, a sigh evident in her voice. "I'm sorry, Jackson, but you were kind of a whore in middle school. You had a new girlfriend like every week."

"Hey," Jackson growled, frowning. "And there was one who lasted longer than a week. It lasted for like three months thank you very much. That was until she caught me making out with you on the Ferris wheel at the school carnival."

"Oh, Liz?" Lydia asked, stealing a fry off of Scott's plate. "She works in the office as an aid in the mornings now."

"You have much better memories of the school carnivals then I do," Scott mumbled, poking at his mashed potatoes.

"Shut up McCall. And Lydia, trust me, I know. And apparently she's a little bitter about our abrupt break up. She's apparently told the entire school that I turned in a cancer center slip and that I'm dying. So much for secrecy…"

"I'm sure it's going to be okay, Jackson," Allison said, a small smile on her face "Everyone was going to find out sooner or later."

"Whatever. I'm going to the locker room. I'll see you guys later." Jackson didn't look back, not even when Lydia called his name."

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

"Go ahead and get changed, Jackson," Rachel the nurse said gently. "We'll get started in a little bit." Jackson turned, keeping his back to his mother as he pulled on the gown that had been left for him. He kept his socks on, his feet already cold, and perched on the edge of the bed in the private room he had been lead to.

"I brought your iPad," Carol said quietly, causing Jackson to jump. "You're going to be here for a couple hours and I figured you'd might need someone to entertain you. I can grab your book bag out of the car, too, if you have any homework you want to do."

"Thanks, mom," he said quietly, giving her a small smile.

"I…I hate to even ask this, but I have a few errands to run for the school carnival and the lacrosse fundraiser and today's the last day I can do them…I can call your Dad to come sit with you, though. He'll be off work in about an hour," Carol looked disgusted with herself at the thought of leaving her only child alone during this.

"Mom, it's fine. I'll be fine." Jackson shot her an encouraging smile, his green eye twinkling. Carol nodded, trying to smile back

"I'll stay until they get you started, okay?" Jackson nodded, staring down at his hands. A knock at the door caused him to jump and Dr. Woodhouse entered the room.

"Jackson, Mrs. Whittemore," he said, nodding at both of them. "We're going to go ahead and get started. Do you have an arm preference for an IV?" he asked and Jackson shook his head. "I'm assuming your right handed so I'll put it in your left so it's not in the way so much."

Jackson watched as the doctor cleaned off the skin above the large vein in Jackson's hand. With practiced eased he inserted the needle into the vein, taping it off and inserting the tubes that would attach to the machine.

"Go ahead and sit back on the bed like normal; good, good." Rachel entered the bag, caring four bags of clear liquids that were hung from the IV stand next to Jackson's bed. Dr. Woodhouse attached the tubes to the bags, setting a drip rate on the machine. "I've just go to jab you one more time," the doctor said as he finished drawing a medicine into a needle. He cleaned a patch of skin on Jackson's thigh before pushing the needle into the boys muscle. Jackson hissed, letting his eyes drop closed.

"Okay, we're all set. You've got to get through two bags of each, so you'll be here for a couple hours. If you need anything, go ahead and push this button here." He gestured to a button on the bed. "And by if you need anything, I mean don't get out of bed unless someone is here to help you. I'll be back to check on you in a little bit."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Carol asked, perching on the edge of the bed. Jackson let his eyes fall shut as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I'm fine mom. Go. Just don't forget to come back and pick me up later," Carol laughed quietly, kissing her sons forehead as she handed him his iPad.

"Text me if you need me. I'll be back soon." Jackson gave her a small smile, waving as she left. He poked gently at the IV in his arm, leaning back so he could stare at the tubes leading into the needle. He sighed, unlocking his iPad and pulling up his eBooks. Not that he would admit it to anyone, but Jackson liked to read.

He had only made it a few pages when the door opened again

"Seriously mom, I'm okay. You don't have to stay. Go run your errands."

"I'm flattered; you're mom's beautiful! But…I'm not her." Jackson looked up, his eyebrows rising when he saw Stiles standing there sheepishly.

"How did you know where I was?" Jackson asked, not even surprised.

"I'm still on first name bases with some of the nurses from when my mom was here…" Sties trailed off, shutting the door quietly behind him and crossing the room to sit beside the bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked, flopping into the chair.

"Fine," Jackson said with a shrug. "Mind you, it's only been about ten minutes. But I feel fine."

"Good…Good. Listen, Jackson. I'm sorry about the other night. I was kind of a whiny bitch and you didn't deserve that."

"Stiles…"

"No, really. I mean I was eight when mom was diagnosed. Which is unfair, 'cause you know a guy kind of needs his mom as he grows up. But when you're eight you don't really get what's going on. I mean I didn't get while mom was always so tired or sick or why she'd never play with me when I asked her to. And by the time I was ten and was starting to understand, she died. And Dad and I…we don't talk about it. Like, ever. It's just something that I've accepted and I've tried to deal with. I guess..I guess I just thought that surrounding myself with werewolves meant that I'd never have to deal with anyone close to me going through this again."

"Stiles, really, I get it. You don't have to apologize."

"I just thought…I just thought that being a werewolf healed everything. That no one would get sick and die like she did. That's kind of selfish of me, since it's you that's going through this. I just kind of freaked out."

"Seriously, I don't blame you. I kind of thought the same thing, really. I mean, what's the point of being a werewolf if it can't save your life when you need it to? And I'm a little bitter that it's happening to me. I mean… I won't pretend to think that you don't know about my childhood." Stiles froze, looking sheepish. The look alone confirmed Jackson's thoughts. "I'm just saying, foster care isn't easy. And I know I act like the perfect little brat all the time, but it took time before I could sleep without waking up screaming in the middle of the night once I was adopted. When I asked about the bite, I thought things would finally be perfect and that I'd live forever. So much for that"

"I'm sorry dude. Seriously," Stiles said, meeting Jackson's eyes.

"Yeah, well, as long as the pack sticks around I think I'll be okay."

"Want me to hang out?" Stiles asked, leaning back in the chair, propping his up on the edge of Jackson's bed.

"Sure," the blonde said, a small smile on his face.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.

"How'd it go?" Derek asked, sitting on the edge of Jackson's bed. Jackson's shrugged, sitting up slowly.

"Okay. I'm just kind of tired," he answered, closing his eyes as Derek kissing his forehead.

"You smell like Stiles?" Derek questioned, a brow raised.

"He came and sat with me during chemo. Apologized about his freak out the other night and kept me company while my mom ran errands."

"He's a good kid. A bit spastic. And I'm not sure if you've noticed how horrible Adderall makes a person smell around the full moon? It's bad. But I only notice it at the full moon. But really, good kid."

"You're rambling," Jackson whispered, pulling Derek down to kiss him. Derek grinned, deepening the kiss.

"Have you ate?" Derek asked, laying down next to Jackson.

"A little bit, yeah. I wasn't very hungry."

"Want to watch a movie?" Derek asked, trying to keep the mood light.

"Can we just sleep?" he asked, gazing up at Derek. The Alpha could already see the bags forming under the teens eyes.

"Yeah…Yeah, sleep sounds good." Derek flicked off the lights, carefully throwing an arm over Jackson's waist as the teen drifted off.

.*.*.*.*.*.

Jackson tried to stay still. He tried to breathe in through his nose and out through his mouth, following all those stupid lectures coach would give them during conditioning. He kept his eyes closed, taking deep breaths. It didn't help though. With a whimper he threw Derek's arm off his waist and bolted from the bed, barely making it to the bathroom in time. He fell roughly to his knees and shoved his head into the toilet, vomiting all he had ate earlier.

"Fuck," Derek whispered, sitting up slowly. He rubbed at his eyes for a moment before pushing himself out of the bad and fallowing Jackson. "J?" he asked quietly.

Jackson didn't answer, instead vomited even louder. Derek sighed, grabbing a washcloth from under the sink and wetting it carefully. He placed it on the back of Jackson's neck, rubbing the boys back as he whispered encouraging words.

"That's it, let it all out. Shhh, it's going to be okay. That's it, J." Jackson leaned back, gasping for breath.

"Fuck," Jackson moaned, leaning back against Derek's legs. "This sucks."

"I bet," Derek whispered, helping pull Jackson to his feet. "Brush your teeth, it'll make you feel better." He grabbed the trash can from under the sink, making sure there was a bag in it. "I'll put this by the bed for you, okay?"

Jackson nodded, shuffling back to bed. Derek re-wet the washcloth and placed it on Jackson's head when the boy had laid back down. Derek gently took Jackson in his arms, drawing shapes with his finger on the boy's back and shoulders. He tensed when the first sob escaped Jackson.

"It's okay," Derek whispered, kissing Jackson's hair. "I know, just let it out. It's okay."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to ruin tonight. Why would you want to be with some sickly werewolf that can't heal himself? I'm never good enough. I can't do anything right." Jackson sobbed, his hands digging into Derek's arms.

"No, shhh, it's okay. Of course I want to be with you. There's nothing you could do about this, Jackson. This isn't your fault. And I'm not going to leave you, okay? Shhh, everything's going to be okay."

"I…I…I love you!" Jackson chocked out, his grip still tight on Derek's arms."

"I love you, too, babe. I love you, too."

.*.*.*.*.*.

_**AN**__: I hope you liked it! Please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_I don't own Teen Wolf. _

**No One Does It Better: Chapter 5**

"Stilinski!" Jackson growled out, barely catching himself on the locker as Stiles slammed into the back of him. Again. Stiles peeked around, looking up at Jackson with wide eyes.

"Yeah, Jackson?" he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets to have something to do with them. He gave Jackson a small smile, hoping to please the taller teen.

"I need you to know, that even if I'm sick, I'm still a werewolf. A werewolf that could easily rip your throat out. So please, please back the fuck off." He knew his eyes were flashing turquoise and he crossed his arms so anyone passing by couldn't see his nails.

"I….I I'm sorry!" Stiles stuttered out, his eyes growing even wider with fear. "Derek-Derek said to keep an eye on you and Scott is always with Allison and Lydia can barely stand being around you and I don't think he considers Danny pack yet so that leaves me and Derek scares me so I'm trying to do what he says now to keep him from ripping my throat out. But I'll-I'll leave you alone. Sorry Jackson. Sorry!"

Jackson let out a sigh as he watched the teen run away from him, occasionally throwing a glance over his shoulder as he pushed his way through the crowd. The werewolf jumped when he turned around to see his best friend standing there, a displeased look on his face.

"Was that necessary?" Danny asked, shaking his head as he pushed past Jackson to open his locker.

"I know, I'm an asshole," Jackson mumbled under his breath. "But you've got to understand, I'm barely keeping it together right now. The wolf knows it's a full moon and it knows something's not quite right with me. And I always get moody before the moon and today's just worse."

"So you're taking it out on Stiles who's part of your pack. That's logical." Danny said, grabbing his chemistry book out of his locker.

"He's driving me insane!" Jackson growled, letting his eyes fall shut as he leaned back against the locker. "He's so fidgety. And did you know that Adderall smells like vinegar? Because it does. And that kid reeks of Adderall, but I've never really noticed until this full moon. And do you know how many times he's slammed into me today because he was following me so close?"

"He's just doing what Derek asked him to, dude. And he's right, you're boyfriend's pretty terrifying when he wants to be; especially to Stiles. He's worried about you, Jax. We all are."

"I'm fine," Jackson mumbled under his breath, wrinkling his nose at a guy who walked past carrying a bag of McDonald's breakfast. His stomach clenched, reminding him of the time he spent on the bathroom floor the night before. He closed his eyes, breathing deep out of his mouth as Danny slammed his locker shut.

"You ready for tonight?" Danny asked, keeping his voice low since he knew that his best friend could hear him.

"Not really. The whole reason I learned to master it so fast was because it was so painful for the moon to force you to shift. And even at 100% I still struggle with it. And, well, I'm definitely not at 100%." Jackson threw his back over his shoulder, pushing his way through the crowd. "Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to it. But all's a go on me 'staying with you tonight.' Mom didn't even hesitate. Apparently seems to think I need to embrace my childhood before I get to sick. That or she hopes your my boyfriend."

"I'm sure Brett would love to hear that," Danny said with a smirk, mentioning his boyfriend who was out on a college visit that day. Jackson grinned.

"You'd be lucky to have me," He said, nudging Danny's shoulder before walking away.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

"Wait. Say it again?" Derek asked, pulling at his hair as he paced back in front in front of his couch where Ruth sat. The older wolf sighed at him sadly and cleared her throat.

"The wolf is picking on what it heals, Derek. Recent physical injuries, bruises, sore muscles, colds, the flu. Things like that. Cancer, however, is the body attacking itself. The wolf can't heal that. Especially if it's been in his system for a while."

"So there's nothing we can do?" Derek asked, his voice cracking as he looked at her with wide eyes.

"Not right now, no. I'm looking into it more, Derek, but right now there's nothing more you can do than stay calm. That boy has a long fight in front of him and you panicking isn't going to help anything; especially when he's queued into your feelings as your mate."

"Calm down?" Derek said, his voice getting louder as he froze in front of his mother's oldest friend. "How am I supposed to calm down? Do you know what it feels like to know your mate could die?" his breath was coming out in gasps, and had it been in front of anyone he probably would have been embarrassed.

"Yes, I do know," Ruth said, her voice sounding dead. "I had to get through it when the Argent's trapped and tortured Ralph before the fire, Derek. I know all about it." Derek flinched, remembering the panic that went through the older members of the pack as she frantically searched for the older man of their neighboring pack.

"I just…don't know what I'm doing. I'm not supposed to be the alpha…That's Laura's job. I don't know what to do?" Ruth sighed, gesturing for Derek to sit down next to her.

"What do you want to know, Derek?" she asked quietly.

"The full moon is tonight. He's not going to be strong enough to stay human…" Derek trailed off, flinching when he thought of the first time Jackson had changed and how painful it had been.

"If possible, have him change before the moon is at its peak. If he's already in his wolf form before the moon tries to force him into it, it should be less painful for him." Derek nodded, gesturing for her to continue. "I'm assuming as your mate he has good control over the wolf when it's not the full moon. Even so, try to keep him as calm as possible, especially when he starts getting sicker. And you need to stay calm, too, Derek. You getting upset isn't going to help anyone."

"And what do we do when he's too sick to leave the hospital?" Derek asked, furrowing his brow.

"Is there someone at the hospital you trust? Anyone you could tell?"

"Mrs. McCall…her son's the other beta. We…We might be able to tell her."

"Well when you do," Ruth said giving him a small smile, "See if you can have her arrange her schedule around the full moon. Even if you have to tie him to his bed, it's better than letting him roam around the hospital in full wolf form on the full moon. I'm sure you'll figure something out sweetie. You were always smart."

"Thank you, Ruth. Even if this wasn't very helpful."

"I'll keep looking into it Derek. This sort of thing has had to have happened before. I'll keep you posted. Good luck, sweetheart. Make your mother proud." With that, Rose stood and gave the new alpha a light kiss on his forehead before walking out of the apartment.

"Fuck," Derek growled, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. With a sigh he looked at the clock and realized the time. He climbed to his feet and grabbed his keys, off to pick up his mate from school.

.*.*.*.*.*.

Danny gave Derek a small smile as he led Jackson to the parking lot, an arm thrown over his shoulders.

"I just want to take a nap," Jackson mumbled, looking up at Derek with desperate eyes.

"He got sick after lunch," Danny whispered quietly, flinching when Jackson glared at him. "The nurse offered to let him sleep in her office, but you know Jackson. He's been pretty grumpy the rest of the day."

"I'm not grumpy!" Jackson yelled, rolling his eyes at his best friend.

"I'm not sure what the plan is for the night," Danny said, smirking at Jackson, "but I have lacrosse practice until five. So…."

"You know where my apartment is, right?" Derek asked, opening the passenger door to his Camero and gesturing for Jackson to get it. Danny nodded. "Just come pick him up then. We'll have to make your parents think he's at your place. Once you get into your room, I'll come by and sneak him back out the window."

"Horrible plan," Jackson mumbled, yawing. Derek shot him a glare and Jackson lifted his hands in surrender. Derek rolled his eyes and shot the door, turning to Danny. Jackson shut his eyes while he waited.

"I talked to Ruth today…" he said quietly, hoping Jackson couldn't hear him with the door shut.

"And?" Danny asked, shifting from leg to leg.

"Not good. She gave me some tips to make tonight easier. And some tips for later on. But there's no way to just cure it…" Danny curse under his breath, running a hand through his hair.

"So what are we going to do?" he asked quietly.

"Stay calm, keep him calm, and just go with it," Derek said with a shrug, walking around to the driver side of the car. "I'll see you later tonight."

.*.*.*.*.*.

Derek smiled down at the sleep form curled into his side. Jackson's brow kept furrowing, and every once and a while the teen would whimper and tighten his grip on Derek's stomach. Derek rubbed Jackson's bare back in an attempt to calm him down. After about an hour of troubled sleep, Jackson woke, peeking up at Derek through squinted eyes.

"Hey," he whispered, rubbing at a line of drool on his chin. "Well that's attractive," he mumbled, licking his lips.

"Eh, I'm used to it. You tend to do that in your sleep…" Jackson growled, swatting at Derek who grinned at him. Derek bent and kissed the teen, tightening his grip. "How you feeling?"

"Just tired. And a little anxious. The moons going to suck tonight…"

"I'm not going to lie, it's probably going to suck. Um, I talked to Ruth today," Derek whispered into Jackson's hair, trailing his fingers up the teens muscled stomach.

"And what did she say?" Jackson asked, chewing on his lip.

"The wolf can't heal cancer…" Derek trailed of quietly, pressing his lips to Jackson's head. "Physical injuries, bruises, cuts, colds, flu, anything like that-no problem. But when the body start attacking itself, there's nothing the wolf can do."

"Of course not," Jackson mumbled, closing his eyes against the tears that were welling up in his eyes.

"Hey, shh. It's going to be okay, J. You're going to beat this. You're the strongest person I know and you've got this, okay? And all of these people who love you are going to be there for you. I love you, Jackson."

"I love you, too," the teen mumbled. "Did she say anything about tonight?"

"She said to have you change before the moon is at its peak. It'll still hurt but maybe a little less. We might also have to tell Scott's mom once you get sicker. You know when you get to the point that you can't leave the hospital…"

"And what's Melissa going to do then? Tie me down and hope I don't eat anyone?" Jackson joked, his eyes going wide when Derek tensed up. "Fuck, that's what Ruth suggested wasn't it?"

"We'll have to see if it comes down to that. I'm not going to tie you up if we don't have to J…"

"Stiles tried to tie Scott up once," Jackson mumbled, his eyes wide. "Once he turned Scott tore clear through the handcuffs…"

"Don't worry about that right now, J. We'll deal with it when the time comes. You'll see."

Jackson sighed, leaning up to kiss Derek. Derek grinned into the kiss, wrapping his hand around Jackson's neck to keep him there.

.*.*.*.*.

The trip back to Danny's was a blur for Jackson. He vaguely remembered smiling at his best friend's mother, fighting to keep his body from going tense as she hugged him and told him that she was praying for him. He nodded his head at Danny's father who looked at him sadly as he followed the goalie up the stairs. He perched on the edge of Danny's bed before shooting back up to his feet and rushing to the bathroom, landing hard on his knees as he dry heaved.

"Jax?" Danny asked quietly, perching on the edge of the bathtub beside Jackson. His hands were shaking as he reached out and rubbed the teens back.

"I don't want to talk about it," Jackson growled, his face pale and sweaty, his body shaking as he hung over the toilet. Danny licked his lip and nodded. After Jackson finally calmed down enough, the shorter teen helped his friend to his feet and led him back to the bedroom.

"You're going to be fine," Danny whispered, rubbing Jackson's back as he kept looking towards the window for Derek. "You'll be just fine. Derek's going to make sure of it."

"I can't do this," Jackson moaned, wrapping his arms around his stomach. "I can't…"

"It's a little late now, babe," Derek said sadly from the window. "But to be honest, had I known…I probably wouldn't have bit you." Jackson sat up slowly, meeting Derek's eyes.

"Yeah? Well a little late now, _babe_," he growled back, his teeth lengthening

"Okay, how about the werewolves don't shift in my room?" Danny said, standing in between the two boys and hold up his arms to hopefully keep the peace between them. Derek held up his arms in surrender, approaching Jackson slowly. He gently grabbed the teens elbow and lifted him to his feet.

"You ready?" He asked, his lips up against Jackson's ear. It was beginning to get dark and Derek knew he had to get his mate out of town soon. Jackson gulped and nodded, reaching out and gripping Derek's arm tightly. "I'll bring him back in the morning so your parents won't know he's gone, Danny. Just leave your window unlocked, okay?" Danny bit his lip, nodding.

"Good luck, Jax," he whispered, and Jackson gave him a pained grimace as he carefully ducked out the window. Derek nodded at Danny before following him.

"I'm parked about a block over," Derek whispered, taking Jackson's elbow again when the boy stumbled on his landing. "I didn't figure you'd want to run out to the house tonight. Or walk back in the morning."

"Thanks," Jackson mumbled, straightening his posture as the kept clear of Danny's parents view. "Scott and Lydia already at the house?" he asked, waiting for a car to pass before he crossed the street.

"I told them not to come. Figured you'd do better without two other beta's at your throat."

"Well what are they going to do tonight? I mean they always run with you." Jackson asked, guilt already weighing on him.

"They'll be fine, Jackson. Worry about you." The teen nodded, sliding into the passenger seat of the Camaro, his head ducked. They didn't talk the whole way out to the old Hale property, Derek alternating between shifting gears and squeezing Jackson's knees. Derek pulled up in front of the house, sighing as he pulled the key from the ignition. Jackson looked up at him like a deer caught in head lights as Derek tried to give him an encouraging smile.

Since Jackson wasn't born a wolf, the only time the teen werewolf turned completely wolf was at the full moon. Derek stood in front of him, slowly unbuttoning the teen's clothes. Sadly there was nothing sexual about it. Jackson shivered as his shirt was pushed off his shoulders. He caught Derek's hand when they went for the buttons on Jackson's jeans.

"I-I got it." He mumbled, pulling the fabric off his body. Derek nodded, bending down to pick them up.

"I'm going to put them in the car so they don't get ripped or anything, okay J?" Jackson nodded, crossing his arms across his chest. Derek quickly stripped down, too, trying to give his mate an encouraging smile. "It's almost time…You ready to shift?"

"Not really," Jackson mumbled, but he uncrossed his arms and closed his eyes. Derek watched as the teens face contorted in pain as his ears grew to points and his face was covered with hair. Derek caught him as Jackson fell forward, his breath coming in gasps as his canine teeth extended and his nails ripped through his skin.

"It's okay, Jackson," Derek whispered, not even sure if the teen could understand him. "It's almost over." Jackson responded with a pained whimper. Derek watched hopelessly as the moon rose into its peak and Jackson's boned shifted. The sound was horrible and Derek could only imagine how much it hurt. "Almost done, J. Almost done," Derek kept whispering, his fingers wrapped tightly in Derek's fur.

Finally, a large, dark blond wolf stood in front of him, panting hopelessly. The wolf looked up, turquoise eyes meeting with green. Jackson let out a quiet whine, nudging at Derek's arm.

"That's my boy," Derek said, rubbing at his ears a bit. Jackson let his butt fall down, one leg sliding out almost like a kick stand. "You feel up to running any?" Derek asked carefully, fully sliding out of his own pants. Jackson whined again, his head dropping down. "Okay, we don't have to. Let me shift and we can do whatever you want, okay J?" Jackson whined again, his head cocked to the side as he waited.

Derek shifted his transformation far less painful than his mates. Maybe it was because he was born a wolf; maybe it was because he was healthy. Either way, he hated the bitter look Jackson's wolf shot at him. Once he was in wolf form, his black wolf towering over Jackson, he nudge the tired looking teen with his nose. Jackson sighed, climbing slowly to all fours. Derek nodded, leading the way.

He tried to convey through their bond that they wouldn't go far; just a short run to hold the wolf over. Derek kept his pace slow, constantly stopping to make sure Jackson was keeping up. After a short circle of the woods, Jackson dropped down in front of the house, panting. Derek dropped down next to him, his mind alert for any danger while Jackson slept.

.*.*..*.*.*.

Early the next morning, when the moon started to go down and the wolf left its hold on Jackson, Derek watched the teen sleep on. His naked form was pale, his body thinner than Derek had ever seen. The alpha sighed as he carefully pulled a pair of Jackson's warm up pants he had stolen from the teens room onto his mates body. Jackson moaned as he bent to pick up his mate.

"Der?" he mumbled quietly, his eyes still shut.

"I'm just taking you back to Danny's, babe. But before you go back to sleep I need you to take your meds, okay?" Jackson furrowed his brow, nodding but not opening his eyes. Derek laughed slightly, squinting to read the labels in the dark so he didn't over medicate his boyfriend. Jackson took the pills in his hand and swallowed them without any water.

"Bed," he mumbled, his back cracking as he shifted in the bed.

"Just let me get you back to Danny's," Derek whispered, kissing Jackson's forehead as he carefully buckled him in. Jackson was back asleep before Derek was even in the car.

Danny was awake when Derek carefully carried Jackson in through the window. The goalie jumped to his feet and pulled the covers back on the futon he had set up for the sick wolf.

"How'd it go?" He whispered, tucking Jackson in once Derek had put him down.

"It was painful. He was pretty tired, too, so we didn't go far. Thank God there's only one full moon a month."

"Should I give him anything?" Danny asked, crossing his arms as he looked down at Jackson in worry. "I still have his left over Vicodin from when he separated his shoulder… I pulled a muscle in my back and since he refused to take it he just gave them to me. I think I only took one…"

"Don't drug him," Derek said. "His wolf should still heal any injuries from tonight. And I don't feel comfortable giving him anything not from his new doctors, you know? He should be okay once he gets some sleep. But if need be, see if his mom will let him stay home from school. Feed her some line about how he was sick throughout the night so he'll be rested for chemo this afternoon…"

"Jax will never go for it. He hates missing school, believe it or not. I think it has something to do with foster care and being a disappointment. He'll be okay Derek. I'll keep an eye on him."

Derek sighed, nodding his head. He squatted down next to his sleeping mate, brushing his hair out of his face. "I love you, J. Sleep tight," he whispered, placing a kiss on the teens forehead. Danny had the decency to look away.

.*.*.*.*.*.*..*

_**AN**__: I hope you liked it. Sorry it took so long, I had finals last week. Please review_


	6. Chapter 6

_I don't own Teen Wolf._

**No One Does it Better: Chapter 6**

The school day passed quickly for Jackson, the teachers and his friends walking on egg shells around him as if they were to touch him he'd break. It didn't bother him near as much as he thought it should. Instead he kept his head down, answered only to Danny and tried to make it without throwing up. Before he knew it, Jackson was sitting in the waiting room of the cancer center with his mother, waiting to start his next round of chemo.

"Jackson?" A lady with dark hair called and the teen looked up, surprised to see Scott's mother holding his file.

"Come on back, Jackson. We'll get you started soon." The blonde let out a shaky breath as he followed the shorter woman to his room, his mother's hand on his elbow. He perched on the edge of the bed and watched as she took his blood pressure, wrinkling his nose as she took his temperature.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly as she wrote his results in his chart. Jackson shrugged, staring straight ahead.

"Okay. Just kind of a tired all the time. And I miss playing lacrosse…." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"Well, we'll miss seeing you out on the field. Stiles making first line…Not quite as impressive as you. Just don't tell him I said that." Jackson grinned, raising to his feet as he took the gown she handed him. "Go ahead and get changed. Dr. Woodhouse will be in soon to get your IV set up."

Jackson nodded, changing quickly and slipping back into the bed. He gave his mom a small smile as she began pulling things out of her purse to keep him entertained.

"Truthfully, mom, I was planning on just taking a nap this time," he yawned to prove his point, the night before still taking its toll on him.

"So you wouldn't mind if I step out for a little while? I have to meet with Lydia's mother to work on school carnival plans. I don't mean to keep leaving you alone during this…"

"No, it's fine, mom," Jackson said, trying to smile at her again. "I'll just be sleeping anyway." Carol bit her lip and nodded. Before she could say anything else, Dr. Woodhouse knocked on the door and entered the room with Mrs. McCall right behind him.

"How are we feeling today, Mr. Whittemore?" the young doctor asked, pulling his stethoscope of his neck and listening to Jackson's heartbeat.

"I feel okay," Jackson answered, taking deep breaths when the doctor told him to. "I threw up a couple times after the first treatment. But other than that I'm just kind of tired."

"Yes, that's normal. You'll probably begin to experience that more. Next week when you come in I'll put a port in. The medicine will be hooked up to your port when we do treatment and it'll be delivered to your bloodstream just as easily as an IV without breaking down your veins over and over. But today an IV will work just fine. We did your left hand last time, right? Let's see if I can find another good vein in your left arm." Jackson watched as the doctor tied off his arm and poked at the veins that were sticking out. Melissa handed him a needle and he swiftly stuck it in Jackson's arm, taping it off before fitting the tubing into its place. He hung the two bags of medicine on the pole. "Just one last shot, like last time. I just need to get to your thigh."

Jackson closed his eyes as the needle was inserted into the muscle and the medicine released. He nodded his head as Dr. Woodhouse mumbled something about pressing his call button if he needed something as he left the room. His mother bent and kissed his forehead as Melissa finished setting the controls on the IV drip.

"Just call me if you need anything honey. I'll be back in about an hour. Hour and a half tops." Jackson nodded as Carol left, trying to get comfortable.

"Melissa. I mean Mrs. McCall…" he trailed off, biting his lip.

"You can call me Melissa, sweetie," She said with a smile, her hands on her hips. "Just don't tell Scott. What's up, Jackson?"

"I kind of wanted to take a nap and it's more comfortable to lay on my stomach sort of. Can you just move the pole so I can flip over without pulling the IV out?"

"How about this?" she asked, moving to the foot of his bed. She unlocked it and pulled it out from the wall a little bit. "I'll just move you out and put the pole behind you." Jackson nodded, rubbing at his tired eyes again. "Have a nice nap, Jackson. Just press your call button if you need anything."

Jackson mumbled his thanks, and was asleep before she even made it back to the nurse's station."

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Jackson wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep when there was a loud bang and an even louder sob. He sighed, rubbing at his eyes and rolling back over onto his back, lifting his arm above his head to keep the IV untangled. The blonde did a double take when he saw his best friend curled up in the chair next to his bed, his face red and blotchy.

"Danny, sweetie, try to keep from slamming the doors. I'm sure you didn't mean it, but we don't want to wake up the whole floor," Mrs. McCall was saying quietly from the door and the goalie nodded miserably.

"Sorry, Mrs. McCall," he mumbled, not looking up from his hands.

"Do you need anything while I'm here, Jackson?" she asked with a small smile and the teen tried to small back.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks." He waited until she was gone before turning to Danny. "What's up, Dude?" he asked, leaning over to get the water bottle his mother had left him.

"Brett was cheating on me," Danny said, looking up into Jackson's wide green eyes.

"Excuse me?" he asked, pushing the button on his bed to sit up more.

"Brett was cheating on me. With a girl," Danny's voice broke, his eyes wet. "All those trips he took to USC for scholarship interviews? Well he had met a girl on his first trip and keeps going up there to visit her. It's been going on for months. He's been cheating on me for months and I just now found out about it because she called is fucking phone while we were in bed together!"

"Shit," Jackson mumbled, throwing his blankets off and trying to move the IV pole around so he could get out of bed and get to his best friend.

"No, stay in bed, damn it," Danny growled, holding his hand up to stop Jackson who let his head fall back against the pillow. "It's just…We were together for almost two year. He took my virginity and made me realize I was actually gay. Then he goes and cheats on me with a girl…"

"Danny, I'm so sorry…" Jackson was at a loss of what to do. He ran his hands over his thighs as he stared helplessly at his friends. "I'm can have my creepy alpha boyfriend go after him?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, and then Stiles' dad will have to arrest him again, and I highly doubt the Whittemore's are going to let their only son date a known criminal. Speaking of which, Derek's ugly mug was on every news channel and newspaper last fall. You're parents are bound to recognize him when you bring him to dinner. How are you going to make this work?"

"I've had Stiles get his dad to sign something saying that he has cleared Derek of all charges and that he's not a criminal," Jackson said simply with a shrug. Danny blinked at him a couple times, whipping at the tears still rolling down his face.

"I don't even know what to say to you about that. All I have to say is my boyfriend cheated on me and you get a fucking super model who happens to be an alpha werewolf as your boyfriend. Somehow that doesn't seem fair."

"If it makes you feel any better," Jackson began, giving Danny a small smile. "My birth parents didn't want me, I have cancer, and I have to turn into a wolf once a month rather my body is strong enough to do it or not. I'm pretty sure that evens us out."

"Fuck, Jax…" Danny trailed off, letting out a bitter laugh. Jackson grinned moving the edge of his bed and laid on his side.

"Come here," he mumbled, pulling the blankets up so Danny could crawl in behind him. "I'm totally in the mood for some platonic cuddling."

"And when your mom comes back she'll be so excited. I guarantee she'll always like me more than she'll like Derek."

"Shut up," Jackson mumbled, letting his eyes fall shut with a small smile on his face.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Jackson watched with bleary eyes as Derek moved around his bedroom. A trashcan with a bag in it was placed on the floor next to his bed. The alpha pulled a bag of crackers out of his duffel bag and opened it before placing it on Jackson's night stand. And also opened a bottle of water, moving it far enough away that the teen wouldn't accidently knock it over if he was tossing and turning in his sleep. Derek stepped into the bathroom and Jackson furrowed a brow when he heard running water. A few seconds later Derek reappeared with a damp washcloth. The teen closed his eyes as Derek gently placed the washcloth on his forehead.

"I heard you tell your mom you had a headache. The crackers are in case you start feeling nauseous. I don't know, they always helped my stomach when I was little and sick." The wolf turned his back and Jackson watched as he flipped the TV on and slipped a movie in the DVD player. He smirked when he saw it was X-man First Class, his favorite movie.

"I don't really expect you stay up for the whole thing. I just thought maybe we could watch until you fell asleep." Derek shrugged when Jackson lifted an eyebrow at him. "What? Think of it as date night. A really crappy date night, but date night all the same."

"I love it," Jackson said quietly, his voice hoarse. Derek grinned, leaning down to kiss his boyfriend on the lips.

"Take your meds so I don't have to wake you up later to take them," the alpha said against his mate's lips. Jackson sighed, leaning forward to reach for the bottles on his bedside table. He fell back hard, giving Derek a small smile that he was fine. "How was your day?"

"Okay," Jackson said with a shrug. "Dr. Woodhouse said he's going to put in my port next week so he doesn't have to put an IV in every time I go in for chemo. Oh, and Danny's boyfriend has been cheating on him for about four months now. And how was your day?"

"Brett's been cheating on Danny?" Derek said, his voice louder than he has intended. Jackson swatted at him, hissing at him to be quiet.

"Yes. With some girl he met at a USC visit. She apparently called his phone while him and Danny were fucking earlier and Danny answered."

"Is he okay?" Derek asked, rubbing at the healing bruise on Jackson's left arm. The wolf was still doing its job, just a little slower than usual.

"He's pretty upset. He came and sat with me at the hospital today. Had a good cry, then some cuddle time. I offered to sick you on Brett, but Danny said then Sheriff Stilinski would probably just arrest you again and then I'm be screwed when it came to introducing you to my parents. But he seemed okay when he left."

"That sucks. Wait, did you say cuddle time?" Derek asked, sniffing at Jackson, frowning when all he smelled was Jackson's shampoo and body wash.

"I'm totally allowed to have platonic cuddle time with my best friend if I want to, thank you very much. Reel in the red eyes, Mr. Alpha. This is why Stiles calls you a sour wolf." Derek growled playfully, nipping at Jackson's neck.

"Just marking my territory," he whispered, placing a deep kiss against Jackson's lips. Jackson returned the kiss, gripping Derek's arm tight as he did so. The teen pulled away after a few moments, gasping for breath.

"Remind me to apologize to Stiles this weekend," he whispered, letting his eyes fall shut as he took in Derek's scent.

"What did you do to Stiles?" Derek asked, raising a brow.

"Might have snapped at him and threatened to rip his throat out. Also, please realize that when you tell the 'pack' to look after me, that really means only Stiles will do it and he's not stealthy what so ever."

"I have the worst pack ever…" Derek trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm so glad we're the only pack around, you know that? All the other Alpha's would judge me for my lack of control over you brats."

"Hey, I'm totally in control. It's the rest of your pack that sucks." Derek smirked, tightening his grip on his mate. "Hey Der?" Jackson asked after a few moment of silence.

"Yeah, J?"

"I want you to meet my parents this weekend…" Jackson trailed off, his eyes shut so he couldn't see Derek's reaction.

"This weekend?" Derek repeated, the panic clear in his voice.

"I know it's short notice. I just really want them to meet you so it doesn't feel like I'm sneaking around. Just dinner, maybe Sunday night? Mom always make a big dinner on Sunday's. Please."

"Have you told them who I was yet? Am I going to have to worry about them trying to call Stiles' dad on me?" Derek joked, running a finger up Jackson's toned stomach.

"I actually have a signed paper from Sheriff Stilinski saying you were cleared of all charges and that you're innocent. But I don't think they'll care. Please Derek." Derek was quiet for a long time, listening to Jackson's breath speed up. Derek had just opened his mouth to speak when Jackson froze and then rolled off the bed, leaning heavily on the trashcan Derek had left there.

"J," Derek mumbled, kneeling down behind him and rubbing his back. He picked up the washcloth the teen had dropped and put it on the back of his neck. Jackson heaved, his knuckles white from the grip he had on the trashcan. He took a deep breath, a sob escaping him as he did so. "Hey, it's okay. Deep breaths, you're okay. Don't get upset." Jackson heaved again, reached out to catch the sleeve of Derek's shirt as he sobbed more. After a few moments he leaned back, breathing heavy as the tears rolled down his face.

"P-please come S-Sunday. Please. I j-j-just need you to come." He let out another sob as he fell over the trashcan. Derek rubbed his back, his other hand gripping Jackson's elbow to keep him semi upright.

"I'll be there," he whispered in the teen's ear, placing a kiss at the back of his neck. "I wouldn't miss it." The alpha froze, a noise coming from the hallway making him stop. He jumped to his feet and slid into Jackson's closet, stooping to pick up his duffle before shutting the closet door.

"Jax?" Carol called, knocking gently on the door. "Jackson, are you okay?"

"I…Just a little sick, mom," Jackson called back, closing his eyes. He let out a shaky breath as he heard his door swing open and his mom pad across the room to him.

"Well at least you thought ahead with the trash can," she mumbled, crouching down next to her sun and holding the water bottle out for him. He took a couple sips before shaking his head and handing it back. "I filled the Zofran prescription. Maybe it'll help with the nausea a little?" She whispered, running her fingers through Jackson's short hair. He shrugged before nodding, slowly pulling himself off the floor. Carol gave him a small smile before leaving the room. She returned a few minutes later with a pill bottle and a bottle of mouth wash.

"Rinsing your mouth out might make you feel a little better," she said with a small smile as Jackson spit it out in the trash can. "And you just let this dissolve in your mouth, okay babe?" she said quietly as she shook a tablet out onto his hand. Jackson popped it in his mouth as he let his eyes fall shut, breathing deeply out of his nose. Carol perched on the edge of the bed, placing a fresh damp washcloth across his forehead and gently running her fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this Jax," She whispers, her finger tips trailing over his face in a way that had always comforted him when he was younger. "If we could, Dad and I would take your place in a heartbeat, anything to make you better and to keep you from having to go through this. But just know that we love you, so so much. And we're going to be there with you, fighting every step of the way, okay? We aren't going to give, not until you're ready to, okay?" Carol leaned forward, placing a kiss on her son's flushed cheeks.

"Mom?" Jackson whispered, his voice hoarse from vomiting. "Can Derek come to dinner Sunday?" he mumbled, shifting in his bed.

"Is Derek your boyfriend, sweetheart?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in question. Jackson whimpered and nodded, his eyes still shut. Carol gave him a small smile even though she knew he couldn't see it. "Of course sweetheart. We're happy to meet him. Now you get some sleep. You just call for us if you need anything okay? I love you."

"Love you," Jackson mumbled, turning on his side. He was asleep before his mother was even out of the room or Derek was out of his hiding spot in the closet.

"I love you, J," Derek whispered, crawling in the bed behind his mate. "So, so much."

.*.*.*.*.*.

_**AN**__: I hope you like it. Please review!_


	7. Chapter 7

_I don't own Teen Wolf_

**No One Does It Better: Chapter 7**

Jackson groaned as he woke up, cursing his phone under his breath as he rubbed at his eyes. It felt like there were weights attached to all of his limbs, making his movements sluggish. Thank God it was Saturday. He sat up slowly, breathing deeply out of his nose, just in case he was going to be sick again. The teen reached for his phone, swatting at the touch screen until it unlocked. He squinted at the message from Derek.

_Pack meeting at 11. Let me know if you need a ride. _

Jackson sighed, falling back heavily as his mother knocked on his door lightly. He quietly called for her to come in, his arm thrown over his eyes. Carol crossed the room, sitting on the edge of his bed. Jackson let his arm fall to his side, staring up at his mother with hooded eyes.

"How are you feeling, baby?" she asked, squeezing his wrist and giving him a small smile.

"Better," he mumbled, letting his eyes flutter shut as she placed the back of her hand to his forehead. She let it lay there for a few seconds before running her fingers through his hair.

"You feel a little warm…" Carol trailed off, squinting in concern.

"I'm okay mom, really. I'm just going to take a shower and go meet Danny. I'm okay." Carol sighed, nodding her head as she patted Jackson's arm.

"Just be careful baby, okay?" He nodded, giving her a small smile. She nodded again, leaving his room, shutting the door behind her. Jackson sighed, rubbing at his temples as he slowly sat up. He let his long legs touch the floor, leaning heavily on his thighs before standing up. He swayed for a moment, closing his eyes to stop the dizziness from dropping his to his knees. After a moment of stillness, he crossed the room to his bathroom and climbed into the shower, sighing in relief as the hot water worked the knots out of his muscles.

After the longest shower he had ever taken, Jackson pulled on a pair of jeans and his favorite lacrosse hoddie, pulling the hood over his head. He grabbed his wallet and his keys, slipping his sunglasses on as he left the front door. He paused a moment once he was in the driver seat of the Porsche, wondering if it was safe for him to drive or not. After he debated for a few moments, he shrugged and shifted into gear, taking off down the road.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Danny, Scott, and Stiles were already at Derek's when Jackson got there; each of the them dressed in their warm up gear. Jackson raised an eyebrow, already having lost track of the date.

"Home game against Tri-County," Stiles said quietly, looking at his hands. "Couch is making us practice before the game, too." Jackson nodded, dropping down on the couch next to Stiles. They were both quiet for a while, watching Scott and Danny argue over who had the better cleats..

"I'm sorry," Jackson mumbled, quiet so only Stiles could hear him. Stiles stared forward, not saying anything, but Jackson could tell that his body had tensed. "You didn't deserve me snapping at you. Or threatening to rip your throat out. I know you were just trying to help, and I really appreciate it. I've just had a lot on my mind…And it's easier to take it out on the closest person to me and that so happened to be you that day. And I'm sorry."

"You know," Stiles mumbled back, his eyes following Derek who was pacing and looking at his watch every so often. "I always thought that some day when you apologized to me I would be a pain in the ass about it. Rub it in your face that I was right about something. But seriously? You look like such shit that I can't even be an ass about it. Did you even sleep last night?"

Jackson shrugged, rubbing at his eyes a bit. "I was sick for most of the night, awake off and on. I think I fell asleep for good around three. Even then I don't think it was very good sleep… Let's just not talk about it." Stiles bit his lip and nodded.

"If you need something, let me know, dude." Jackson nodded, letting his head fall back as Lydia and Allison stalked in, each carrying some kind of breakfast food. Jackson whimpered, felling his stomach clench.

"I didn't know if you'd be up to eating, Jax," Lydia said quietly from the door, knowing he could hear it. "I can make you some dry toast, might help your stomach a little." He nodded, meeting her eyes. She gave him a small smile, following the brunette into the kitchen. The rest of the pack followed her, leaving Jackson alone with Derek. The Alpha threw a glance into the kitchen before crossing the room and dropping down next to his mate.

"Sorry I left before you woke up," he mumbled into the blondes ear, placing a kiss on the side of his head. "Didn't want to risk your mom coming in and catching us off guard."

"It's okay," Jackson whispered, letting his head fall onto Derek's shoulder. "I didn't expect you to stay all night anyway."

"How are you feeling?" Derek asked, running hand up and down Jackson's side.

"Better. A little dizzy this morning, but after a shower I felt fine. I even got to drive for the first time in like two weeks, so that was exciting. A little bit of a head ache, and I don't really want to risk putting food in my stomach quite yet, but other than that I'm fine." Derek smiled, nodding

"Good. I hate when you're sick." His kissed Jackson's head again, watching as the pack trailed back into the living room.

"You're not going to make out in front of us again, are you?" Scott asked, a doughnut held up to his mouth. "Because I really don't think I can stomach that right now."

"Shut up," Derek growled, causing the beta to stumble away. Derek shook his head, standing so the girls could sit on either side of Jackson. Lydia squeezed his knee, handing him a pate with a piece of toast on it.

"Just try," she whispered in his ear when Jackson scrunched his nose in disgust. He lets out a shaky breath, raising a brow as he carefully bit into the corner to appease her. Lydia smiled, squeezing his knee again.

"We have to be at the school at one, so can we hurry this up?" Danny asked, shoving a bit of breakfast pizza in his mouth. Derek sighed and nodded, looking back and forth at his pack.

"There has been some activity around the county line. Werewolf activity. Apparently there's another pack just across the border and they're moving a little too close to comfort." He kept his voice steady, letting his eyes fall on each member of his pack.

"So what does that mean?" Stiles asked, egg falling out of his mouth. Derek had to keep himself from laughing when Jackson, Lydia and Allison all gave him a disgusted look.

"That means that we've got to be careful. I've already talked to your dad, Allison, and he knows that it's not our pack attacking people. Just keep your heads low, try not to wolf out in front of anyone. We'll see what happens as we learn more. Chris has promised to give me a heads up if any other groups of hunters come in the area. Allison, would you be able to recognize any one. Maybe someone your family has introduced you to before?"

"I only just found out my family hunted werewolves last year. I can't even remember half the people dad's introduced me to."

"That's fine. We just need to keep an eye out for anything that doesn't seem right, okay?" the pack all nodded, looking around in worry.

"Scott, we're going to have to tell your mother," Derek said, changing the subject before anyone could catch on. He kept his eyes on his hands, not looking up to see Jackson who was going the same thing.

"Excuse me?" Scott asked, his eyes wide and fork paused half way to his mouth.

"I've talked with Ruth, the alpha from a pack who was friends with my family before…." He trailed off, shaking his head before continuing. "She's given me some advice on what to do while she does some more research."

"And what does that have to do with telling my mother about werewolves?" Scott asked, letting his fork drop against his plate.

"When I get too sick, I'm not going to be able to leave the hospital…" Jackson trailed off, still not looking up from his hands. "Even for the full moon… Your mom works at the hospital. We're going to need someone to keep everyone else out of my room on those nights. We already know my parents will fork over the money to get me a private room. We'll just need her to arrange her schedule so she works the night of the full moon and we'll just…I don't know, tie me to the bed or something."

"I don't want my mom in danger. I don't want her in the middle of this!" Scott's eyes were wide as he stared back and forth between Jackson and Derek.

"And I don't want to wolf out and eat a hospital full of people. We've all got to make sacrifices," Jackson growled, his eyes turning turquoise.

"So you want me to sacrifice my mom for you? For you of all people?"

"Hey!" Derek said, his eyes flashing red as he glared at his two betas. "Drop it. We're telling your mom. She'll be safe. I'll be sure of it." Scott stood panting, his hands in his pockets to keep from clawing at the teen in front of him. "That's final, McCall."

"We've got to go," Scott mumbled, turning to walk into the kitchen. "We'll be late for practice." He stormed out of the room, whispering 'I'll call you' to Allison as he went. "Let's go Stiles!" he growled and the spastic teen stumbled after him.

"I guess I've got to go, too," Danny mumbled, nodding at Jackson as he walked slowly to the door. "We're really expected to win this one, Jax. See you there?" Jackson shrugged, nodding slightly at his friend. Danny sighed. "Bye guys," he said softly before leaving the room.

"I've got crazy hunter family training," Allison said, giving Jackson a sad smile. "Let's go, Lydia." The red head gently kissed Jackson on the cheek, winking at Derek as she stood.

"Get some rest, Jackson. You look like hell." Jackson snorted, grinning at her as she strutted away. He waited until they couldn't hear Allison's car anymore. Derek crossed the room, dropping down heavily on the couch next to Jackson.

"So maybe bringing that up this early wasn't such a good idea," Derek mumbled, throwing his arm around Jackson. The teen snorted again, rolling his eyes.

"You don't say?" he mumbled. He let his eyes fall shut as he leaned heavily against Derek's side. "You busy tonight?" he asked.

"Nope. Why, what's up?" the Alpha asked, kissing Jackson's hair.

"Wanna go to the lacrosse game with me?" Jackson mumbled.

"Sure. It's been a while since I've actually been to a game to watch and not make sure Scott wasn't wolfing out."

"You used to play," Jackson mumbled into Derek's chest, and the older man noticed that it wasn't a question.

"Yeah. Used to be team captain when I was a junior, too. The fire happened the first couple weeks of senior year… Quit after that."

" 'm sorry." Jackson whispered.

" It's okay. You're falling asleep, aren't you?" Derek asked, a grin on his face.

"Mmm," Jackson answered, burrowing more into Derek's side.

"A nap wouldn't be that bad," Derek whispered, kissing Jackson's head again.

.*.*.*.*.*.

"Jackson," Sean Whittemore said with a sigh, letting the newspaper fall to his lap.

"Yeah dad?" Jackson asked, pausing to look at him with a raised brow.

"Stop pacing like a sixteen year old girl. You're making me nervous. He'll be here. You're just ready forty-five minutes early." The older man smiled at his son, gesturing for him to sit back done on the couch. "Tell me about him., what's he like?"

"I…Um his names Derek. Derek Hale," Jackson paused, glancing up from his hands to try and catch his father's expression.

"As in the Derek Hale that was accused of those murders last year?" Sean said, his head cocked to the side.

"Uh, yeah. But he was innocent, dad. He's was cleared of all charges. I even have Sheriff Stilinski's singed testimony that he's been cleared…." Jackson started chewing on his finger nail, a nasty habit he blamed Stiles on. He let out a shaky breath, glancing back up at his father as he brought his hand back down and sat on it to keep from chewing on it.

"I believe you. I read that papers. He's a bit older, isn't he?" Sean smiled as his son seemed to fidget some more.

"It's… six years. I know that sounds like a lot, Dad. But we're taking it slow. He won't pressure me into anything I'm not ready for." He could feel his cheeks getting read, and he dipped his head hoping his father would see through the lie that they're relationship was completely innocent. "He cares about me. A lot. And I care about him. I…I love him."

Sean was quiet for a long moment, observing his son. The teens face looked pinched, pale with dark bags under his eyes. He had noticed that Jackson hadn't been eating much, and Carol had told him that he had been throwing up the night before. He let out a sigh, picking up his newspaper again.

"Well that's all that matters then, isn't it?" He looked up when he heard a car pull into the driveway. "And it looks like your boyfriend has a knack of being extremely early too. Have a good night, Jax. Don't let watching from the sidelines get you down too much, kid." Jackson smiled, squeezing his father's shoulder as he walked past.

"Thanks, Dad," he whispered from the door way, giving the older man a small smile.

,*,*,*,*,*

Derek followed closely behind Jackson, his hands shoved in his pockets. He kept his head down as Jackson nodded at people who waved.

"I'm so upset you can't play this year, Jackson," Mrs. Rhoades said, catching his arm as they walked past. Jackson gave her a sad smile as he shrugged. "They really need you out there. You boys have a good night."

Jackson led the way to a spot in the middle of the stands, rubbing at his eyes.

"Sometimes I wonder if people are actually aware why I had to quit," he mumbled, leaning so his shoulder was touching Derek's. "That's the third person I've had tell me that they hate that I quit and that the team needs me. None of them have said anything along the lines of 'oh, sorry you have cancer,' or I hope you beat this thing, kid.' Nothing. They act like I had a choice in quitting or not."

"You feeling okay?" Derek asked, reaching up to gently turn Jackson's face to him. "You seem a bit jittery."

"I'm fine," he mumbled. "My head just hurts. And I miss playing. I mean it's only been like two weeks, but I'm used to playing every day. Just sucks." Derek squeezed Jackson's knee, giving him a knowing look. He left his hand there, his gaze locked on the field.

The two boys watched as the Beacon Hills Tornado's took the field, Scott leading the way. Jackson covered Derek's hand with his own, squeezing hard as he watched Scott run down, passing the ball to Stiles who surprisingly didn't trip. The sheriff's son ran down the field, flinging the ball down to another teammate who scored easily. A Tri-County Wildcat picked up the ball after the score and ran down the field. Jackson held his breath as Danny managed to block the shot.

The players ran back and forth, the game being extremely close. The game was tied most of the last quarter. With less than a minute left, Stiles got the ball again. Jackson held his breath again as Stiles raced down the field, flinging the ball into the net just as the buzzer went off, winning the game. Jackson was on his feet, screaming with the rest of the fans as Stiles stared in amazement at the net. The crowd rushed the field, lifting Stiles onto their shoulders, screaming and cheering. Jackson and Derek remained in the stands, Jackson smiling.

"See, they can do it without you. Don't worry about them," Derek whispered into the teens ear, placing a kiss to his temple. Jackson rolled his eyes, swatting Derek away.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Jackson hovered in the kitchen, watching as his mother put a large pan of lasagna into the oven.

"He eats meat, right sweetie?" Carol asked, chewing on her bottom lip. "It was always so hard trying to find things that Lydia would eat…

"Yeah, trust me mom. He eats meat. I think he's kind of meat and potato kind of guy. But he'll eat just about anything." Carol smiled, pulling stack of plates out of the cabinet.

"Can you set the table for me, Jax? I'm going to start working on a salad and figure something out for dessert. Your dad said he's older…Is he a big drinker? We don't have much in the house right now, but I can send Sean to get some beer."

"No, don't worry about that, Mom. He's not a big drinker at all." Carol nodded, pausing to watch as her son set the table.

"You really like him, right?" She asked after a moment. Jackson froze, his hands shaking.

"I love him, mom. That's why I want you guys to meet him. I figured it be easier if you guys knew each other with all that's going on. With…With the cancer and everything."

"That's all I wanted to know, Jax." He gave his mom a small smile, standing up straight. He froze again when the doorbell rang.

"I've got it!" he yelled, stopping his father from answering the door. He raced through the living room, taking a deep breath before swinging the door open. Derek stood, a bottle of wine in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other. "You shouldn't have," the teen joked, an eyebrow raised. "I'm not really the flower type, though."

"They're for your mother, ass hole," Derek mumbled, entering the room when Jackson stepped back, he tucked the bottle of wine under his arm as he moved to shake Sean's hand. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Whittemore. I'm Derek." He handed the bottle to Jackson's father, a small smile on his face. "My mother always taught me that you don't go to dinner at someone else's house empty handed."

"Well thank you!" Sean said, a big grin on his face. "Looks like a good year, too. Derek, this is my wife, Carol." Derek shook her hand when she offered, handing over the bundle of flowers.

"These are for you, ma'am," he said, a smile on his face.

"They're beautiful!" she said, a blush to her cheeks. "You boys make yourself comfortable while I go put these in some water. Dinner should be ready soon." Carol headed back to the kitchen, Sean following to put the new wine on ice. Jackson took Derek's hand, leading him into the living room.

"Suck up," he mumbled into his boyfriend's ear as they sat next to each other on the couch.

"Best way to win over parents," Derek said with a shrug as Jackson stuck his tongue out.

"So, Derek, you used to play lacrosse for Beacon Hills if I'm not mistaken," Sean said, perching on the edge of his chair.

"Yes sir. I graduated in 2002, I played all four years of high school. But I had to quit my senior year after the fire." Sean nodded, a frown on his face.

"I remember the news coverage. Horrible thing, that was. I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, sir," Derek said, ducking his head.

"So what have you done since you graduated?"

"My sister and I moved to New York shortly after graduation, and I took some classes there. I actually have my Associates degree in medical technology. I've been trying to find a job here since I'm planning on staying, but there aren't any openings at the hospital. Instead I've just been doing some odd ball jobs. Basically whatever I can find."

"You know, we might have an opening at my office," Sean answered. "My law firm deals with mal practice lawsuits. We might be able to find you something a little more permanent."

"That would be great, Mr. Whittemore, thank you," Derek said earnestly.

"Please, call me Sean," he answered, causing Jackson to roll his eyes.

"Dinner's ready!" Carol called, and the boys ambled into the dining room. They ate quietly, every once in a while Carol or Sean asking a question and Derek answering. The alpha reached under the table and grabbed Jackson's hand before clearing his throat.

"I know you may be concerned about the age difference between J and I," Derek started, his thumb rubbing over the back of Jackson's knuckles. "Or about the past that the Beacon Hills tribute seems to think I have. But I want you both to know that I love your son. And not even cancer can scare me away. I'll be there fighting with him every step of the way, as long as he still wants me around." Jackson ducked his head, the cancer still being a touchy subject for him. Carol glanced at Sean who nodded.

"That's all we ask," Carol whispered, reaching out and squeezing Jacksons arm. He gave his mom a small smile. All in all, he was pretty sure this family dinner wasn't a disaster.

..**.*.*.*.*.*.

_**AN:**__ I hope you liked it. Please review!_


	8. Chapter 8

_I don't own Teen Wolf._

**No One Does It Better: Chapter 8**

"Xanax works on Werewolves, right?" Jackson asked from the passenger seat in Derek's car after sixth period on Monday. The Alpha had offered to take Jackson to his appointment, allowing Carol to stay at work.

"Why?" Derek asked, reaching out and squeezing Jackson's knee before shifting into the next gear. Jackson squirmed, looking out the window.

"I have to have a bunch of scans done today. Dr. Woodhouse wrote me a Xanax script since I may be sort of kind of claustrophobic…" Derek grinned, squeezing Jackson's knee again.

"It should work. Did you already take it," Jackson nodded, glancing back at Derek.

"Took it before I signed out."

"What are the scans for?" Derek asked, turning onto Ontario St, slowing to a stop at the red light.

"To see if the cancer's spread to anywhere else in my body," Jackson said simply, let his arm rest on the window sill. Derek nodded, shifting into the second once the light turned green. He flipped on his turn signal and turned left into Beacon Hills General Hospital's parking lot. Jackson let out a deep breath as he left the car. He closed his eyes, letting his head fall back as he stretched, his back cracking.

"Ready?" Derek asked, hesitating at the front of his car. Jackson exhaled deeply before nodding, leading the way into the hospital. Melissa sat at the reception desk, glancing up from her papers to give Jackson a small smile.

"Hey Jackson, come on back sweetie," she said, giving Derek a small nod as he placed his hand on the small of Jackson's back. Melissa led them into Jackson's usual room, taking his vitals and recording them in his file. "Go ahead and get changed. We're going to do the scans first, then Dr. Woodhouse is going to put your port in. After that we'll start the next round of chemo, okay?" Jackson nodded, giving her a small smile.

"Thanks, Mrs. McCall." She nodded, patting his arm as she left the room. Jackson slowly slipped out of his jeans, rolling his eyes as Derek looked at him hungrily.

"This is probably the least sexiest thing I've ever done and you're turned on?" The teen asked, a brow raised.

"Sorry. Can't help it," Derek mumbled, holding up the robe Melissa had left Jackson. Jackson perched on the bed, glancing up when Dr. Woodhouse entered the room.

"Good Afternoon, Mr. Whittemore," he said, shaking Jackson's hand. "And Mr?" he asked, glancing at Derek.

"Derek Hale, sir," Derek said, shaking the man's hand. "I'm Jackson's boyfriend. "

"Ah, yes, good to meet you. Great support system Jackson has," Dr. Woodhouse said, glancing into Jackson's chart in his hands. "I need to put another IV in you, son. Just for the dye to do the scans. We'll put your port in once the scans are over."

Jackson nodded, giving his arm to the doctor and looking away as the man swiftly placed an IV in his vein. He watched as the man placed a needle into the tubing and squirted a dye into his vein.

"That should have spread far enough by the time we get you downstairs. Did you take that Xanax?" He asked and Jackson nodded, biting his lip. "Good. Just stay calm. Everything will be fine and I'll talk you through every step of the way, okay?" Jackson nodded again, sliding off the edge of the bed and sitting in the wheelchair Melissa had just brought into the room. "If you just want to hang around here, Mr. Hale. We'll only be about a half an hour to forty-five minutes tops." Derek nodded, reaching out and squeezed Jackson's shoulder, giving him a small smile.

"I'll be waiting right here," he whispered and Jackson nodded. The blonde kept his head down as Melissa pushed him down the hallway, Dr. Woodhouse following close behind. Melissa kept her hand on his elbow, helping him onto the raised bed once they were in the scanning room. Dr. Woodhouse arranged him the way he needed him before nodding.

"I'm going to be on the other side of this glass," the doctor said, gesturing to the control room. "I'll be on a mic, right in your ear the entire time. Just take deep breaths, stay calm. It'll be over before you know it." Jackson nodded again, swallowing the bile in his throat as the bed slowly moved into it's domed enclosure. He took a deep breath as the bed locked itself into place.

"Good, Jackson," Dr. Woodhouse's voice came through the speakers inside the machine. "Just try to stay still. This machine is going to scan your body for possible metastasis, where the cancer may have spread from attacking your blood cells to attacking the rest of your body. When we did the lumbar puncture on you earlier, there was no evidence of the cancer spreading to your spinal cord or your central nervous system yet. We're just going to perform these scans every so often to hopefully keep ahead of the spreading of tumors."

Jackson kept his eyes shut, his eyelids flickering as the lights roamed over him. He tried not to think of the small box he was enclosed in, almost like a coffin lowering him to his grave. He let out a shallow breath, clinching his hands into fists.

"Deep breaths, Jackson," Dr. Woodhouse said softly, and Jackson could hear the clicking of computer keys through the speakers. "Just stay calm and stay still." A large click resounded around Jackson as the cameras spun into a different location and he tried to do what the doctor said. "We're almost done, Jackson. Deep breaths."

"I need out," Jackson whimpered, trying to keep his eyes shut. "Please, I need out of here."

"Just a couple more minutes, Jackson. You're okay."

"No please, let me out," Jackson cried, his voice growing louder. "I can't breathe, let me out!"

"I think we've got enough, go ahead and pull him out," Dr. Woodhouse mumbled to the tech who nodded as the doctor fled the control room. He appeared at Jackson's side as the bed slowly moved out of the machine, Jackson panting and clutching his stomach.

"Good, good job Jackson. You did awesome," Dr. Woodhouse mumbled, patting Jackson's back. The teen glared, rubbing at the sweat that was covering his forehead. He sunk into Melissa's touch when she returned, helping him off the raised platform.

"You did good, sweetie," she whispered, giving him a small smile. "I'm claustrophobic, too. Totally understand." Jackson shrugged, keeping his eyes on his hands. He didn't look up until he was back in his room.

"I'll give you a couple minutes to catch your breath before I come back to do the port. Then we'll start the chemo. I'll be back in about ten." Jackson nodded, slowly climbing onto the bed. Derek climbed to his feet, perching on the edge of the bed.

"How'd it go?" he whispered when the doctor left, taking Jackson's shaking hand.

"Felt like I was being buried alive," Jackson whispered back, letting his eyes fall shut. "Felt like I was in some crazy lit up coffin. Couldn't breathe. I kind of panicked."

"I think that's to be expected," Derek whispered, kissing Jackson's forehead. "You're okay." Jackson just nodded.

"I'm so tired. My head's killing me." Jackson mumbled, letting his eyes fall shut as Derek played with his hair. "And you're hands are entirely too hot." Derek rolled his eyes, pulling his hands away. He left the bed, falling back into his chair when Melissa and Dr. Woodhouse reentered the room.

"Okay, Jackson, I'm going to need you to lower the top of your gown for me. This is going to be inserted, just right underneath the skin of your chest. I'm just going to numb you up a little." Jackson kept his eyes closed as a small needle was inserted into his skin, the medicine numbing the area quickly. The doctor placed a small drape over his chest, keeping the recently cleaned area in the circle of the drape. The doctor positioned himself so he blocked Jackson's view of what he was doing, but Jackson could see Derek over the doctor's shoulder.

Derek gave Jackson a small smile, trying to keep himself from wrinkling his nose at the over powering smell of disinfectant. Jackson grimaced back, shutting his eyes again. After a quick ten minutes the doctor pulled away, snipping the thread that had stitched Jackson's skin back into palce.

"Good, Jackson," he mumbled, sending saline through it too make sure the port and his vein stood up. "Before you leave today I'll run over how to keep this clean with you. But for now, lets get your treatment started so we can get you home." Jackson nodded, glancing down at his red skin where the new port stood, a small plastic tubing hanging. The doctor fit another piece of tubing into it which ran to the IV stand next to his bed. Dr. Woodhouse hung two bags of medicine from the pole, pressed a few buttons and nodded. "Just call if you need anything."

Derek nodded at the taller man as he left, clanking over at his boyfriend. He smirked when he realized that Jackson was already asleep. It'd been a long day.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Derek froze behind his front door of his apartment, trying to decipher the smell that was coming in under the door. He cocked his head to the side before swinging the door open, a smile gracing his lips.

"Ruth!" He said, pulling her into a hug.

"Things getting any better for you, honey?" She asked, squeezing him tight.

"Not really," Derek mumbled, gesturing to the couch. "They ran a couple scans on him last week. It's spread a little bit. It's showing up as mets in some of his joints and there's really small traces in his lungs. The doctors have upped his meds a little, trying to keep the mets small."

"I'm sorry, Derek. I really am." Derek nodded, staring at his hands.

"Have you learned anything new?" Derek asked, trying to change the subject.

"I have some help for the full moon," Ruth said, pulling some papers out of her purse. "Have you ever heard of a Jade Vine?" Derek raised a brow and shook his head. "It's a very rare flower found mostly in the Philippines. It has the opposite effect of Wolf's Bane. Rather than forcing a werewolf into shifting, it will keep them human, or mostly human, even on a full moon."

"How that hell am I supposed to get my hand on some extremely rare plant from the Philippines?" Derek asked, his brow furrowed.

"I've already got that taken care of. It will be in my possession a week before the next full moon. I'll twist it into a bracelet or something so it's less obvious if he's in the hospital."

"Ruth…that had to be expensive…" Derek trailed off, glancing up at her. She shrugged.

"I couldn't save your parents, Derek. I couldn't save your family. I couldn't save my best friend. I couldn't save your sister. The least I can do is try to save your mate, Derek." He nodded, keeping his head down.

"Thank you," he mumbled and Ruth nodded again. "Have you found anything else. About maybe stopping this…Anything?"

"Nothing yet, Derek. But I'll keep looking. I won't stop until I find something. You just focus on keeping your mate calm. It might make things easier." Derek nodded, raising to his feet to escort Ruth to the door.

"Thank you. Seriously, Ruth. I can't thank you enough," Derek whispered, pulling his mother's oldest friend into a hug. Ruth squeezed him back.

"Just stay strong Derek. It'll be okay."

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Jackson sat in the passenger seat of Stiles' jeep, his eyes closed as they sped up the lane of the old Hale house. Scott was in the backseat, mumbling about something or other and how coach had been all over his ass about being a true team captain. Jackson nodded every few minutes, 'mmhmm-ing' in agreement to whatever Scott was complaining about. His hands shook as he reached into his jacket, pulling out the bottle of Vicodin Dr. Woodhouse had prescribed him the day before. He shook a pill out into his palm, chasing it with the bottle of water Stiles kept in his cup holder.

"What they give you?" Stiles asked, reaching out and stopping Jackson's hand before he could put the bottle away. "Ah, they haven't given you the good stuff yet."

"How is Vicodin not the good stuff?" Scott asked, glancing back and forth between his pack members in the front seat.

"It's not when there's still Percocet, oxy, and morphine they could give him."

"Thanks, Stiles," Jackson mumbled, glancing back out the window. Stiles flinched, nodding.

"Sorry, that was insensitive. How you feeling?"

"Like I've been ran over by a car. And you're sparatic driving isn't helping." Stiles flinched again.

"Sorry. We're almost there." Jackson nodded, letting his eyes fall shut. The teen didn't say anything as they entered the room; he simply sank down on the end of the couch, hugging a pillow close to his chest.

"You okay?" Derek asked, crouching down next to him. Jackson nodded, trying to give him a small smile. Derek nodded, standing up and gesturing for everyone to sit down. Lydia curled up next to Jackson, running her fingers through his hair as his eyes drifted shut.

"Okay, looks like there's been more activity from that new pack this past week. We are going to have to start some border controls, especially when the full moon gets closer. Danny, Allison, Stiles: we may need your help, also. Since we'll be down a wolf we'll need more help. I'll work out a schedule of who gets paired with who and who will patrol where. I'll keep at least one person home to stay with Jackson a night. Just in case."

"I don't need a babysitter," Jackson mumbled, his eyes still closed. Derek rolled his eyes, ignoring his mate.

"Like I said before, everyone keep your head down but your eyes open. I don't know enough about this other pack to say anything other than that." The pack nodded at him, their faces somber. "Scott, I know you're leery about telling your mom." Derek trailed off when Jackson sighed.

"I know. We've got to do it," Scott answered, for once having a level head. Derek nodded, giving him a thankful look.

"We're going to have to do it sooner, rather than later. I'll come talk to her with you, if you want."

"Yeah. Yeah, that would probably be a better idea. She's off work tonight if you'd rather get it over with tonight." Derek nodded, glancing around.

"Any other worries? Concerns?" He asked, leaning heavily on his knees. Jackson groaned.

"Please tell me you didn't drag me out here for a fifteen minute meeting where I'm not actually included." The rest of the pack glanced around, looking guilty.

"Sorry, J," Derek mumbled, glancing up at Jackson who was looking at him with hooded eyes. "I can take you home before I go talk to Mrs. McCall, okay?" Jackson sighed, nodding.

"I probably won't be at school tomorrow," he whispered to Danny who cocked an eyebrow at him. "I just really feel like shit."

"Uh, yeah. Okay. I'll text you tomorrow. Feel better dude." Jackson nodded, grabbing his jacket off the couch and led the way out the door.

"Whoever is last out, lock up. Not much to steal, but I don't need people nosing around in here." With that Derek pulled the door shut and chased after Jackson.

"I'm sorry I dragged you out here. I didn't think about it," Derek whispered, making sure Jackson was buckled in before shifting into gear and maneuvering around Allison and Lydia's cars.

"It's fine. I'm just really tired…" Jackson mumbled, letting his eyes fall shut.

"You don't have to keep coming to pack meetings, J," Derek said. "I'll keep you posted of everything that's going on. Okay?"

"Yeah…yeah that's fine," Jackson mumbled. His head was spinning when Derek pulled up in front of the Whittemore house, running around to the passenger side of the Camaro to help Jackson to his feet. Sean was waiting at the door, a sad smile on his face.

"Get some sleep. I'll keep you posted how it goes with Melissa, okay? I love you." Derek whispered in Jackson's ear, kissing his forehead.

"Love you, too," Jackson whispered back, letting his father support his weight and lead him into the house. Derek ran a hand through his hair before climbing back in the car.

.*.*.*.*.*.*..*

"You're kidding me," Melissa McCall deadpanned, staring at Derek and Scott like they were insane. "Are you on drugs? Have you been giving my son drugs?"

"Mom!" Scott yelled, pulling at his hair. "I'm not on drugs."

"You just told me you're a werewolf Scott. What am I supposed to think?" Melissa asked, climbing to her feet and starting to pace.

"I think it would be better if you showed her, Scott," Derek said quietly and the beta sighed before nodding.

"Just watch, mom," he mumbled, closing his eyes. With little effort, his nails, ears and teeth grew to points, his hair grew longer, and his eyes turned green. He stood panting in front of his mother who dropped her cup of coffee.

"Oh my God," she whispered, her hand coming to her mouth. "You're a werewolf."

"Told you I wasn't on drugs," Scott mumbled, shifting back.

"And you're…" Melissa said, turning to Derek.

"I'm a werewolf, too. And Alpha, in face. I run our pack."

"Why… why are you telling me? Melissa asked, crouching to pick up the broken shards of glass. Scott took a deep breath, glancing at Derek.

"Jackson. Jackson's a werewolf, too. The second beta of our pack, mom. And while the wolf can normally fight off common illnesses, it can't fight cancer. And as he keeps getting sicker, he's eventually not going to be able to leave the hospital, even on full moons. We just need you to try to arrange your night shifts around the moon, mom. Just to keep people out of his room that night."

"What am I supposed to do with him when he turns?" Melissa asked, her eyes wide.

"Ruth, an Alpha of a pack who was friends with my family, has come across some plants. It's the opposite of Wolf's Bane, which forces us to transform. The Jade Vine will help keep him as human as possible. His teeth and nails might get longer and his eyes might change colors, but he won't turn into a total wolf. We'll just have to tie him to the bed that night. I can help, Mrs. McCall, as long as you help keep people out of the room." Melissa nodded.

"There's nothing you can do for Jackson?" she asked, pulling Scott close to her side.

"Trust me, ma'am. I'm doing all I can," Derek whispered. Melissa nodded again.

"I'll help. I'm still mad at you for keeping this from me, Scott Allen." Scott blushed, nodding his head. "But I'll do what I can."

"Thank you, Mrs. McCall," Derek whispered, climbing to his feet. She nodded, giving him a small smile.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Derek carefully slid Jackson's window open, hoping the squeak wouldn't wake up his boyfriend. He slid his shoes off, hanging his jacket on the back of Jackson's desk chair. The alpha slid off his jeans, pausing to glance at Jackson's bedside table. He collection of medicine bottles was growing, and the teen had taken to keeping a trashcan at his bedside at all times. The blonde had his shirt off, and Derek frowned at the small tube hanging out of his chest, letting him know where the port was. Derek sighed, crawling in bed behind Jackson.

"Mmm," the teen mumbled, his eyes closed.

"How you feeling?" Derek whispered, kissing the back of Jackson's neck.

"Tired." Jackson mumbled. "Melissa?" he asked, his eyes still shut.

"She'll help. She's just mad Scott didn't tell her was a wolf sooner." Jackson snorted, burrowing further into the bed, his back pressed up against Derek.

"I've got my senior pictures tomorrow," Jackson whispered. "Wanted to do it before my hair fell out. Mom hired some private company to do them on a school day." Derek chuckled, shaking his head. No one could say that Jackson Whittemore wasn't spoiled.

"Go to sleep, J. I'm not going anywhere."

Jackson whimpered, falling quickly into a fitful sleep. Derek kept one hand around Jackson's waist, the other massaging the teens head. Derek let out a sigh as he pulled his hand away from Jackson's head, a small chunk of hair coming with it. Looks like Carol timed everything right.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.

_**AN**__: I hope you liked it. All my medical knowledge is limited, so sorry if it's wrong. Please review!_


	9. Chapter 9

_I don't own Teen Wolf._

**No One Does It Better: Chapter 9**

"Good Jackson! Big smile! Tilt your head to the right just a bit. Good," the photographer kept barking instructions at Jackson, making the wolf in the back of Derek's mind growl. Derek sighed, sitting back in the chair Carol had shoved at him when he walked in the door. He frowned at the bags under Jackson's eyes, glancing at the teen's mother.

"They're going to airbrush the bags under his eyes out. And anything else that doesn't seem quite right," Carol whispered, answering Derek's unasked question. The two sat in silence, watching Jackson's slow movement as Lindsay, the photographer, bossed him around.

"I'm not sure he slept very well last night," Carol said quietly, biting her lower lip as she watched Jackson yawn as he leaned against the fake locker backdrop, his forearm resting on the top of his lacrosse stick. "He was very tired this morning. Even more so than usual lately. I tried putting some make up under his eyes, but I don't think it helped any." Derek nodded, no knowing what to say. "There was also a minor break down this morning," Carol continued, glancing at Derek who didn't take his eyes of Jackson. "His hair is starting to thin." Derek flinched, knowing he should have stayed for that realization that morning. "A good bit of it came out in the shower. He managed to comb it down enough for the pictures, but we're going to shave the rest off tonight…"

"I'll stick around," Derek whispered, giving Carol a sad smile. "Offer some support. I know this isn't easy on him."

"I'd like to thank you, by the way, Derek," the blonde said, reaching out and squeezing Derek's arm. "I know it probably looks bad that I keep making plans while he's having chemo. I just…I just can't watch. I know it's going to get worse, I just can't sit and watch them pump that poison into his veins. I'd like to thank you for sitting with him. For staying with him. I know he thinks a lot of you. Thank you for sticking around."

"He means a lot to me, too," Derek said honestly, giving Carol a small smile. "More than I think he knows." The two stayed quiet, watching Lindsay change backgrounds and boss Jackson around a bit more. She gestured for them to go outside to the setup she had back there. Derek crouched, leaning against the building and watched as Jackson leaned skillfully up against a wall of rocks, a small smile on his face.

"He could've been a model," Carol said, causing Derek to grin. "Trust me, I tried. He never had the patience to sit through it though." They watched as Lindsay directed him into different poses. Carol swatted Derek's arm. "Get out there," she said, a smile on her face. "We need some good pictures of the two of you." Derek sighed, rising slowly. Lindsay squealed as Derek made his way to Jackson.

"Oh these will be great!" the red head exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Two beautiful boys!" Derek rolled his eyes, lifting a brow in question as to where he was supposed to go. He let Lindsay lead him around, standing behind Jackson with his hand wrapped around the teen's waist. Lindsay hurried back to her camera, shouting out different poses and positions for the boys to stand in. Derek focused hard, trying to keep his eyes from shinning on the film. The curse of being born to be an alpha.

Jackson grinned up at Derek, ignoring Lindsay who squealed again and took more pictures. "Thanks for this," Jackson whispered, his hand digging into Derek's leg.

"Anything to see you smile like that again," Derek mumbled, glancing down at Jackson. Standing this close to the teen he could see the small patches of hair that was missing. Jackson yawned again, and Derek could see how bad the bags under his eyes were.

"Just a few more, Jackson!" Lindsay called, and Derek wondered if she could tell how tired the teen was. Derek tightened his grip, humoring Lindsay as she snapped her last few pictures. Jackson sighed, leaning heavily on Derek as they made their way back to Carol.

"What are your plans for the night?" Derek asked, kissing Jackson's temple as Carol grabbed her purse and chatted with Lindsay.

"Wallow in self-pity, cuddle with you, the usual. Why?" Jackson stretched, wincing when the action pulled at his port in his chest.

"Let's go bowling," Derek said, a small smile on his face. Jackson raised an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side.

"You want to go bowling?" Jackson asked, staring at Derek in shock.

"Well I thought the whole pack could go. Have some quality time outside of the house," Derek mumbled with a shrug. Jackson grinned.

"Really?" Derek nodded, wrapping his arms around Jackson.

"Why not. Text the pack. We'll go early, though. You're mom said something about…" Derek trailed up, reaching up and running a gentle hand through Jackson's hair. The teen froze, nodding sadly.

"Yeah…We can meet when they get out of school, okay?" Derek smiled, nodding. "I'll text them right now." Derek smiled as Jackson ran off for his mother's car where his cell phone waited.

* * *

"Do you ever get used to the smell?" Lydia asked, furrowing her brow as she pulled on her bowling shoes.

"Eh, sort of," Derek said with a shrug, focusing on picking out his bowling ball. "It's more like you just don't notice it anymore unless it's something out of the ordinary."

"Well I don't think I can get used to the smell of used shoes," Lydia mumbled, causing Jackson to laugh as he tied his shoes. He climbed to his feet, joining Derek at the ball rack. He picked up a couple before deciding on one that wasn't too heavy.

"Ready to lose, big bag wolf?" Jackson mumbled, grinning at his boyfriend.

"You think you can beat me, pup?" Derek whispered back, letting his forehead rest against Jackson's.

"Watch me," the teen said, spinning on his toe. "Set the game up, Stilinski!" Stiles nodded, grinning as he typed everyone's names into the screen.

"Go, Jackson!" he yelled when he was done and Jackson easily threw a strike.

"Well, shit," Derek mumbled, a small smile on his face as Jackson walked back to their group, rubbing at his shoulder.

"Told you you were going to lose," Jackson said, grinning as he sat down next to Lydia, throwing his arm around her. Scott climbed to his feet, picking up his ball.

"No cheating this time, McCall," Jackson called, laughing when Lydia elbowed him in the stomach. "No picturing Allison naked, either."

"Hey!" Allison called with a grin. She let out a shrieking giggle when Scott managed to throw his ball in the gutter.

"Lydia, I'm watching you," Derek said quietly, making the girl smirk. "Keep your hands to yourself."

"Hey, he touched me first. Keep your dog on a better leash," the red head said, her smirk growing larger. Derek rolled his eyes as Jackson tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"Do they seem really touchy to you?" Lydia whispered, and the three other wolves followed her gaze to Danny and Stiles. Danny was standing behind Stiles, giving the uncoordinated teen tips on how to bowl. The goalie kept his hand on Stiles forearm, helping him throw the ball down the middle of the lane. Stiles jumped up, swinging his arms above his head and barely missing Danny's face when he knocked down three pins. Allison laughed, joining the other two humans

"No…" Jackson moaned, shaking his head.

"We probably should have seen this coming…" Scott mumbled, putting his head in his hands.

"How could we have seen this coming?" Derek asked, running his hand up and down Jackson's back.

"Do you know how many times Stiles has asked if he's attractive to gay guys? Mainly Danny?" Scott asked, glancing up at the other wolves. "I never thought about it while Danny was with what's his face."

"Brett," Jackson supplied simply.

"Yeah, him. But now that they're broken up, maybe…"

"Let's not talk about this here," Lydia whispered, as the three humans joined the group again. Jackson, you corner Danny later. Scott, you've got Stiles. Pretend we're happy right now, though."

"Um, I am happy, Jackson mumbled as Derek kissed his forehead.

"Who wants pizza?" Stiles asked, tripping over his feet as he walked back to his friends, Danny catching him just in time.

"Me!" Scott, Allison and Lydia all called. Derek nodded as Jackson shrugged. The group ambled off, leaving Derek, Jackson and their game unattended.

"How you feeling?" Derek asked, squeezing Jackson's shoulder.

"Tired. And my head hurts. And my shoulder kind of feels screwy. But I don't want to ruin the good night. Let's stay for pizza." Jackson gave Derek a small smile who sighed and nodded.

Lydia pushed her way back to the boys dropping down on Jackson's lap and making Derek growl. "Down boy," she mumbled, rolling her eyes. Lydia ran her cold hands over Jackson's face, gently rubbing his head.

"My hairs falling out," Jackson whispered simply, his eyes falling shut.

"I can tell," Lydia whispered back, rubbing her fingers together, a small bit of hair falling out of them.

"Mom's going to shave it tonight," Jackson whispered again, tightening his grip on Lydia's waist.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Want me to come over?" Jackson shook his head.

"Derek's coming," he said with a shrug. Lydia grinned, kissing Jackson's forehead.

"I'm glad you're happy, Jax," she whispered, climbing off his lap and taking a bite of pizza Stiles handed her.

"Me, too," he said back, smiling at Derek. Derek shrugged, looking away as his cheeks turned red.

* * *

Jackson stood under the hot water, running his hand over his now smooth head. He'd liked his hair. In his mind, his hair had been one of his best qualities. He rubbed at his eyes slightly, fat tears still falling out. Jackson wasn't ashamed to admit he had cried as his mother had carefully shaved his head on the back porch, a sheet tied loosely around his neck. Derek had held his hand, rubbing his knuckles and whispering that he was okay the entire time.

The teen froze when he heard the bathroom door open, but let out a sigh of relief when he recognized Derek's smell.

"I'm fine, Der," he called quietly over the water, running his hand over his head again. Derek didn't answer, but Jackson gasped when he heard Derek's belt hit the bathroom floor. He glanced over his shoulder, grinning as Derek climbed in the shower behind him.

"I know you are," Derek mumbled, finally answering Jackson. "You feeling up for some messing around?" Jackson grinned, nodding as he pulled himself up level to Derek, kissing him deeply. "Turn around," Derek whispered, his hand trailing over Jackson's hip. Jackson let his hands climb the shower wall as Derek's fingers gently probed him. After Derek was convinced Jackson was prepped enough, he slowly entered into him.

"We don't do this enough," Jackson groaned, letting his head fall back onto Derek's chest. Derek moaned his response, one hand wrapping around Jackson's waist, the other around Jackson's dick.

"Tell me when to move," Derek whispered and Jackson pushed back against Derek.

"Move," he moaned. "Oh, God please move." Derek gasped, pulling out of Jackson and pushing back in. "Faster!"

"You're so beautiful," Derek whispered, biting Jackson's ear as the teen arched against him, his eyes closed. Jackson moaned, tilting his head so he could capture Derek's lips. Derek moaned into Jackson's mouth, bucking his hips into the teen as his hand pumped Jackson's length.

"Harder," Jackson moaned, bending at his waist slightly to give Derek more room. Derek growled, his movements become sporadic. He could feel his orgasm building and he tightened his grip on Jackson's waist.

"J," he shuddered, shooting his load into Jackson as Jackson exploded all over the shower wall. They stood panting under the spray of hot water. Derek carefully pulled out of Jackson, spinning the smaller boy in his arms.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered against Jackson's lips as the teen leaned heavily on him.

"I love you," Jackson whispered back, kissing Derek deeply. Derek deepened the kiss, running his hand over Jackson's smooth head." I love you so much," the teen sobbed, his grip tightening on Derek.

"Let's get out of the shower. You're getting pruney," Derek mumbled, fumbling around behind him to turn the water off without letting go of Jackson. He wrapped a big fluffy towel around the teen, carefully taking the cover off his port with shaky fingers. Jackson leaned heavily on Derek as the Alpha wrapped his arm around Jackson and led him to his bedroom.

"Mom won't check on me tonight," Jackson mumbled, pulling on a pair of shorts and sliding under his covers.

"Really?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow. Jackson yawned and nodded.

"She only looks in after chemo," he whispered, shaking out his nighttime pills into his cupped hand. Derek handed him a bottle of water from the mini fridge under his desk.

"If you say so," Derek whispered, pulling on his boxers and sliding in bed behind Jackson. 'I love you, J," Derek whispered, kissing the back of Jackson's neck. "So much." Jackson let out a shaky breath, burrowing closer to Derek.

"Don't go," Jackson whimpered, holding one of Derek's hands closer to his chest. "Don't leave me."

* * *

"Are you sure you want to go?" Scott asked, climbing in the back of Stiles jeep with Lydia, letting Jackson take the front seat.

"I haven't had a good wolf run in a while. Why not?" Jackson said with a shrug, climbing in and slipping his seatbelt on. "Besides, this is the best I've felt in a while. I'm not going to want to run on the full moon; why not do it now."

Scott and Lydia shared glances and Stiles shrugged, slipping the key into the ignition.

"Derek's not going to be there…" Scott trailed off, cocking his head to the side.

"So?" Jackson asked, glancing back at his former co-captain.

"Well, if you're doing this to prove something, you don't have to because he won't be there," Scott said as if it was that simple.

"I'm not trying to prove anything. I just want to go on a wolf run, okay? Just one wolf run while I feel good," Jackson growled and Stiles flinched when the boy's eyes turned turquoise. "Drop it, McCall." Scott sighed, holding his hands up in defeat as they pulled up to the old Hale house. Derek was on a house call, fixing Mrs. McCormick's computer and it was Scott and Lydia's responsibility to keep an eye on Jackson.

The pack climbed out of the car and the boys started slipping off their clothes. Lydia rolled her eyes, stepping around the corner so she didn't expose herself in front of them. Stiles dropped down onto the top step of the porch, watching with wide eyes as Jackson and then Scott shifted into their wolf forms, Lydia joining them shortly after.

Jackson didn't miss that Scott left him alone as they ran. Normally the darker haired wolf was all over Jackson, nipping at his neck and knocking him over. This time Scott ran slightly behind Jackson, whining and cocking his head to the side. Jackson huffed, running faster and stretching his legs. This felt good; it had been too long since he had actually enjoyed running. He turned, grinning when Lydia tripped Scott and took the lead. Jackson slowed down, panting heavily as his two friends

After a few laps of the meadow, Jackson was really starting to feel tired. He barked at his friends, cocking his head back to where they had came from. Lydia whined but followed close behind. Jackson lead the way back to the house, his legs feeling like they were going to fall off. His steps started to slow and his vision started to tunnel. Jackson could see Stiles in the distance, jumping off the porch and running to him.

Jackson tried to take another step but he froze, the pain in his forehead blinding him. He was vaguely aware of Scott transforming back into his human form, but him and Stiles screaming his name. The teen tried to shift back but he couldn't. He couldn't move, he couldn't think, he couldn't breathe.

"Jackson?" Stiles called again, reaching out to touch him. Jackson whimpered. He tried to switch back once more, his vision going black as he passed out.

"Jackson!"

.*.*.*.*.*..*.

_**AN**__: I hope you all liked it. I've been receiving some confusing reviews and I'd like to clear the air here. I tried to make it very clear that this story would be about Jackson and his struggle with cancer. That comes first, every background part, including other packs and Jackson being a werewolf are second. So when I receive reviews more or less complaining that the story had focused on Jackson's cancer for "7 of 8 chapters," I'm just confused. What did you expect? If Ruth was to magically find a cure, the story would be 3 chapters long-what's the point? I'm aware that Cancer is a very sensitive subject for some people, which is why I made sure to mention it in the summary. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that's what the story is about. But to everyone else who has been giving me such support, thank you so much! Please review!_


	10. Chapter 10

_I don't own Teen Wolf._

**No One Does It Better: Chapter 10**

* * *

"Jackson!" Stiles yelled, running to the wolf who swayed on his four legs. Stiles reached him just as the teen collapsed. "Shit, Jackson, wake up!"

"Fuck," Scott whispered, transforming back to his human form and catching his shorts that Stiles threw at him. He crouched over Jackson, who's wolf had allowed him to transform back to his human form, his fingers hovering over the teens pale skin. Lydia growled, pushing past the boys and running around the corner. She returned a few moments later fully dressed in her human form, Jackson's sweats in her hand.

"Jackson?" she whispered, rolling him over and letting her hands rub over his smooth head. She let out a sigh, moving down to pull on Jackson's pants with shaky hands.

"Lydia, I can do that…" Scott whispered, but the girl shook her head.

"He took my virginity. I've seen him naked more times than I can count. I've got this." Scoot stayed crouched beside them.

"What…What do we do?" Stiles asked, glancing back at the empty house.

"He feels really warm, like he has a fever. Let's get him in the car and take him to see your mom at the hospital," Lydia whispered, pulling on Jackson's shirt with help from Scott. Scott nodded, standing up and pulling Jackson into his arms. He nodded towards the car and Stiles scrambled to his feet and ran to get the door open. Lydia climbed in the back seat, allowing Jackson's head to rest in her lap as Scott placed him beside her. Scott climbed in the front seat, pulling out his phone. He glanced back at Lydia who gave him a sad smile as he dialed.

"Hey mom?" Scott said, letting his head fall back. "Something's wrong with Jackson. Yeah, we were running and he just collapsed. He feels like he has a fever and he's not waking up….Yeah, we're bringing him in right now. Will you wait for us at the ambulance bay? Great, thanks mom." Scott hung up, sighing again.

"This is a disaster," he whispered, glancing back at Jackson again.

"It could be worse," Stiles mumbled, flicking his turn signal as he turned onto Steeplechase Drive.

"How do you see that?" Lydia whispered, running her hand over Jackson's head.

"He could have been stuck in his wolf form when he passed out. Then we'd have to call Derek and explain that Jackson collapsed while running as a wolf after Derek specifically told you that he wasn't supposed to come running with you and that he was stuck as a wolf and we had no idea how to make him switch back. At least now all you have to do is tell Derek Jackson collapsed and that he's at the hospital," Stiles said, turning into the hospital parking lot and driving up to the emergency room door.

"Fuck, Derek," Scott mumbled, jumping out of the car and pushing his seat forward as Melissa and a few other nurses met them, pushing a gurney between them.

"I'll leave that phone call to you," Lydia said with a grin, watching sadly as Melissa pushed Jackson away from them.

* * *

"Where is he?" Derek growled, grabbing Scott by his shirt color and pulling him to his feet.

"Hey, calm down!" Scott said, holding his hands up in defeat.

"I said, where is he, McCall?" Derek said, his eyes flashing red.

"Derek, calm down," Lydia whispered, pulling at his shirt and glancing around them. "They're running some tests on him now and making sure everything's okay. Scott's mom made it sounds like his cell counts were out of whack. It's going to be okay." Derek growled again, pushing Scott away from him and dropping down in a chair to wait. Danny entered the room, perching on the arm rest of Stiles' chair.

"I thought I told you not to take him running. He's not strong enough," Derek said quietly, staring at his hands.

"He just sounding so hopeful," Scott said with a shrug. "He kept saying how he missed going on a wolf run and that he really wanted to go. He said he wouldn't feel up to it by the time the next full moon came around. I didn't have the heart to tell him no."

The pack stayed silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Danny whispered comforting words to Stiles as he rubbed his back; Allison ran her fingers through Scotts hair trying to keep him calm; Lydia hugged her arms close to herself, glancing at the door every so often. After another half hour, Melissa joined them. She gave the teens a small smile, squeezing Derek's shoulder.

"Jackson's going to be okay. He's resting right now. With the mets in his lungs it's harder for them to pull in the oxygen his body needs. So while he was running, his muscles and brain weren't able to get enough oxygen, causing him to pass out. He's also got a bit of a fever. We've got him on oxygen and we're trying to bring his fever down, but he's going to be okay. He's resting peacefully right now; he should wake up pretty soon. So all you can go home. Just his parents and Derek are allowed in tonight." The teens groaned, each slowly climbing to their feet.

"Told you he'd be okay," Scott mumbled, flinching when Derek glared at him.

"Tell him we're all thinking of him when he wakes up, Derek," Allison said with a small smile, wrapping her arm around Scott. Derek nodded, watching them go. Danny gave him a small smile, nodding as he passed.

"Can you wait out here a couple more minutes, Derek?" Melissa asked, giving him a sad smile. "Just give Carol and Sean a couple minutes with him."

"Yeah, sure," Derek said, sitting on the edge of his seat.

"Thanks, sweetie. I'll come get you in a couple minutes." Derek sighed, letting his head fall in his hands. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Jackson was vaguely aware of an obnoxious beeping noise somewhere close to him. He was exhausted, his muscles screaming in agony as he shifted. Jackson scrunched his nose, pretty sure something was in it. He brought his hand up to brush whatever was causing his nose discomfort away, whimpering when someone caught his hand.

"Leave it there, Jackson," a quiet voice whispered, causing Jackson to slowly blink his eyes open. Derek perched on the edge of his chair, smiling down at his mate.

"What happened?" Jackson whispered, grasping Derek's hand as the alpha held out a glass of water with a straw to the teen's lips.

"You passed out. Apparently your lungs suck," Derek said, sitting back in his chair, still holding Jackson's hand.

"That a technical medical term?" Jackson whispered, a small smile on his face. Derek chuckled, shaking his head.

"According to Melissa, the mets in your lungs are preventing them from taking in as much oxygen as you need. So when you were running, your muscles and brain weren't getting enough oxygen as you needed, causing you to pass out. You also had a fever when they brought you in. Pretty sure you scared the shit out of Stiles; never seen that kid so quiet."

"Sorry," Jackson mumbled, reaching up to pat his face. "What's this for?" he mumbled, trying to pull the tubes out of nose. Derek grabbed his hand again, stopping.

"I said leave it there," the alpha said, and Jackson could tell how tired he sounded. "They've got you on oxygen to help get everything cleared up right now. I don't know how long they want you on it. But I'm pretty sure you won't have to go to school tomorrow." Jackson gave Derek a small smile, burrowing himself deeper into the bed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, sighing when Derek raised an eyebrow at him. "For scaring you guys."

"It's not your fault," Derek said, squeezing Jackson's hand tight. "To be perfectly honest, I didn't want you running anyway. Mind you, Scott didn't have the heart to tell you know. At least you weren't by yourself…. How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," Jackson mumbled, rubbing at his nose again. He let his eyes fall shut as he took a deep breath.

"I think that's to be expected. I bet Melissa can get you more drugs," Derek whispered, rubbing his thumb over Jackson's knuckles.

"No, I'm okay. I just want to sleep." Derek nodded, starting to stand up. "No, don't leave. Not yet, please. Just let me fall asleep first."

"Okay," Derek whispered, giving Jackson another small smile.

"I love you," Jackson whispered, his eyes drooping.

"I love you, too. Now get some sleep."

* * *

Jackson sat in the passenger seat of Danny's truck, staring at himself in the flip down mirror.

"You ready to go in?" Danny asked quietly, glancing at his phone. They had five minutes to get to class.

"Give me a minute," Jackson whispered, adjusting his stocking cap.

"No one's going to say anything, Jax," Danny whispered.

"Everyone knows I just spent the last three days in the hospital because I collapsed, Danny," Jackson mumbled, still staring at the dark bags under his eyes.

"Jax…" Danny trailed off, sighing.

"Were you going to tell me?" Jackson asked, raising a brow.

"Tell you what?" Danny asked, cocking his head to the side. Jackson sighed, finally turning to look at Danny.

"About you and Sties?" He asked, causing Danny to gasp.

"I…Uh…" Danny stared at Jackson with wide eyes. "We're not sure if anything's going on yet. We're just kind of circling each other right now."

"The whole pack can tell," Jackson said with a shrug. "And you've smelled like Stiles ever since you broke up with Brett."

"This is why I hate running with werewolves…" Danny mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face. "You feeling okay?"

"I guess," Jackson said with a shrug. "We could always skip?" he said hopefully, grinning at Danny.

"And you're crazy alpha boyfriend would kill me. He's already threatened to kill Scott after you collapsed. How did you convince them to let you leave without the oxygen, again?"

"I have to wear it at night," Jackson said, rubbing at his nose while thinking of the uncomfortable oxygen tubes that he had taken off a half an hour before. Jackson sighed, making sure his hat was on straight before turning to Danny. "Let's go."

Danny followed close behind Jackson who kept his head up, falling into his old familiar strut. The teens froze, however, when they walked around the side of the school and saw a mess of cops and roped off area.

"Shit," Jackson said, running a hand over his face.

"Did you wolf out last night?" Danny whispered.

"I just got out of the hospital, dude. I came home, I fell asleep. I was definitely not wolfing out and eating innocent people last night," Jackson whispered back, rolling his eyes. He glanced up as Stiles pushed his way through the crowed.

"Hey," he panted, leaning against Danny. "It wasn't Scott, or Lydia. And I'm assuming Derek was with you last night and he has ten times more control than everyone else."

"But it was a wolf?" Jackson asked, pulling Stiles away from their gaping classmates.

"Dad said it looked like some kind of animal. And from what Derek has been telling us about that nearby pack…"

"They're moving in on our territory…"Jackson mumbled and Stiles nodded.

"We've been patrolling a bit," Danny whispered, and Jackson swallowed his grin as the goalie reached out and touched Stiles' arm. "Derek's probably going to have us stepping up patrolling now."

"Should I text Derek?" Jackson asked, having to stop himself from pulling his hat off.

"Don't think you need to," Danny said, nodding his head to the back of the crowd where Derek stood, his hands in his pockets.

"Do we know who was attacked?" Jackson asked, glancing at Stiles.

"Mr. Wise, the geometry teacher. Maybe the other pack doesn't like math," Stiles said, causing both Jackson and Danny to roll their eyes.

"Where's Allison?" Jackson asked. "She should probably let her dad know this wasn't us." He jumped when someone touched his elbow, letting out a sigh of relief when he turned around to see Derek.

"I'm going to talk to Argent. You guys just keep your heads down," Derek said, keeping voice low.

"Got it," Stiles said, giving the alpha a small salute.

"And you," Derek said, wrapping his arm around Jackson's waist. Jackson closed his eyes, letting his forehead fall against Derek's chest. "Stay calm. If you don't feel good, go home. They aren't going to fault you."

"I'm fine, Derek," Jackson said.

"I know. And I want to keep it that way. I'll talk to you after school. Love you," Derek whispered, kissing Jackson on the forehead.

"Love you, too," Jackson whispered back. With a sigh he turned back to Stiles and Danny. "Well boys, let's get this over with." With that, the teen led the way into the school, keeping his head up.

* * *

_**AN:**__ I hope you like it. Thank you for all your support! I know this was a short chapter, but it was more filler than anything. The next one will be much longer. I hope you liked it. Please review!_


	11. Chapter 11

_I don't own Teen Wolf._

* * *

**No One Does It Better: Chapter 11**

Jackson pushed his mashed potatoes around on his plate, his head leaning heavily on his hand. He watched through bleary eyes as Stiles talked animatedly to Danny, Scott and Lydia. The sick teen gave Allison a small smile as she joined the group, offering to pick something up. Jackson blinked slowly, realizing the rest of the table was staring at him, waiting for him to answer.

"Sorry, what?" Jackson asked, sitting up straighter and letting his fork drop. Stiles sighed, rolling his eyes.

"The lacrosse team is throwing a fundraiser dinner. You know, to help pay your parents pay for your medical bills," Stiles said quietly when Jackson looked confused.

"Oh…" Jackson whispered, looking down. "I, uh. I didn't know. Um. Thanks?"

"Don't mention it," Stiles said with shrug. "We're just making sign-up sheets and getting donations from local businesses. And I'm still working with coach to settle on a date."

"You're planning this?" Jackson asked, glancing at his other friends who all grinned and looked at Stiles.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah I am," Stiles said, looking embarrassed.

"Why would you do that for me?" Jackson asked, looking confused.

"What are friends for?" Stiles asked, giving Jackson a smile. Jackson bit his lip, at a lost for words.

"Thanks, Stiles. Seriously," Jackson whispered, glancing up at Stiles who smiled and shrugged.

"Anyway, we figured we'd do a spaghetti dinner; do presale tickets and maybe a few extra at the door. WE can do meals to go if people need it. We're trying to get a few of the local businesses to donate some stuff for a raffle. Lydia and the student council are going to do a bake sale. We've got a sign-up sheet for the team to help prepare food, sell tickets, help serve. It'll be great."

"Wow. That's…That's great, Stiles. Thank you." Jackson was quiet for a few moments, staring at his hands. "Mom's pulling me out of school," he said, not looking up. He flinched when Danny dropped his cup, cursing under his breath.

"Excuse me?" Lydia asked, raising a brow as Danny mopped up his spilt drink.

"I can barely convince myself to get out of bed," Jackson said, glancing up. "My lungs suck. Dr. Woodhouse is worried about my cell counts. It's just safer to pull me out and have a tutor try to get me through senior year. Not worth me catching some bug my immune system won't be able to fight off just trying to stick in school."

"When?" Danny asked.

"Tomorrow," Jackson said. "Today's my last day."

"Were you going to tell us?" Lydia hissed, causing Jackson to flinch again.

"I just did," he growled back, closing his eyes that he knew were turning to turquoise. He was having more trouble controlling his wolf as he got sicker.

"Okay, let's calm down," Allison whispered, grabbing Jackson's arm.

"Sorry," Lydia mumbled, rubbing at her temples like she had a headache.

"There was another attack," Scott mumbled, completely changing the subject. He glanced up from his phone, nodding when everyone was looking at him. "Derek just text me. They found another body looking like it was attacked by an animal behind the court house."

"Who was it?" Stiles asked, leaning closer to Scott.

"Mr. Grey," Scott said. "The city council president."

"Do you think the other pack understands irony better than Derek?" Stiles asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Ha. Ha," Jackson said, rolling his eyes. "I highly doubt the other pack has some political agenda, Stiles."

"I don't know," Danny said, popping a fry into his mouth. "Mr. Wise was on the school board. And he had a lot of ties in the court house."

"Awesome," Jackson mumbled, rubbing at his tired eyes. "Werewolves with a political agenda."

"We're still patrolling," Danny said, bumping shoulders with Jackson. "We'll find them."

"The bells going to ring. Let's just go," Jackson grumbled, climbing to his feet. Danny sighed, following close behind.

* * *

Another week, another chemo appointment. Derek sighed, glancing at his watch again. He had gotten wind of where the other pack was staying and his pack, minus Jackson, would be moving in on them that night. But that would only happen once Jackson's appointment was over.

Derek watched as the teen whimpered in his sleep. His skin was pale and his lips cracked. His skin was hot to the touch and Derek knew it painfully tight, covering equally sore joints. The teens mother had pulled him out of school the week before, and Derek was pretty sure it wasn't a day to soon. Derek glanced at his watch again, and then at the bag hanging on the IV stand next to Jackson's bed. Derek was pretty sure each of the these treatments were taking longer than the last.

A small knock came from the door and Derek looked up to see Melissa entering the room, a small cup of ice in her hand. She reached out and squeezed Derek's shoulders.

"Dr. Woodhouse wants to keep him overnight," she whispered, giving Derek a sad smile. "I've already called Carol. Her and Sean should be here soon." Derek nodded, watching as she crossed the room and placed her cold hands on Jackson's hot forehead.

Jax?" she said, and the teen 'hmm'd' without opening his eyes. "Jackson, sweetie, can you open your eyes for me?" Melissa asked and Jackson groaned, blinking his green eyes open. Melissa gave him a small smile, taking his temperature. "102.9…" she murmured, entering the numbers in his chart. "Jackson, Dr. Woodhouse wants to keep you here over night. He's worried that your fever is too high and your cell counts are too low."

"Mom?" Jackson mumbled, letting his eyes fall shut momentarily.

"She's on her way," Melissa said back giving Jackson a few ice chips to suck on. She placed the glass on his bed side table and pulled a new set of oxygen tubes out of the supply draw in the cart nearby. She unwrapped the tubes, placing the nubs in Jackson's nose, wrapping the plastic around his ears and plugging the other end into the spout on the wall. She glanced at his chart, turning the spout to the setting the doctor had requested. "We're going to get you started on some IV painkillers, sweetie. It might make sleeping a little easier."

"Okay," Jackson whispered, scrunching his nose in discomfort. Derek grinned at the familiar gesture; he went through this fight every night lately. Melissa patted Jackson's leg, excusing herself. "Are you going to stay?" Jackson asked, glancing to Derek. The alpha could tell that his boyfriend was nervous and he inwardly berated himself.

"Just until your mom gets here, babe," Derek whispered. "We've found where the other pack is camped out. We're going to move in tonight once it gets dark."

"Is that safe?" Jackson asked, watching as Melissa entered the room with another bag of fluid. The attached it to the connector on his port, pushing the buttons on the IV stand to set the drip of pain killers into Jackson's system. Melissa paused, hearing the edge of the conversation.

"Is this about the mission Scott said you have tonight?" she asked, putting her hand on her hips. Derek sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah. It's safe. We're not attacking or anything. We're just going to talk to them, you know, one pack to another. Everything's going to be okay." Jackson rolled his eyes, nodding.

"Okay," he whispered, wincing when his mother entered the room, looking for something in her never ending purse. "Stop back when you're done?"

"Of course," Derek whispered, kissing Jackson's overly warm forehead. "I wouldn't make you sleep alone." Jackson grinned, burrowing into his bed for the night. His eyes drooped as he watched Derek pull on his jacket and head for the door. "Love you, Der," he called. Derek froze, glancing back.

"Love you, too, J," Derek whispered. "Sleep tight."

* * *

Derek stood on the front porch of his family's old house, his hands in his jacket pockets. Stiles' blue jeep pulled into the drive way; the lanky teen, Danny, Allison, Lydia and Scott all jumped out. Derek watched as his pack laughed and pushed each other, Stiles animatedly talking about something or other.

"Hey Derek!" Lydia called, a big smile on her face. Derek nodded.

"How's Jackson?" Allison asked, nudging the alpha's shoulder.

"They kept him at the hospital for the night," he mumbled. "So let's get this over with so I can get back there." The pack nodded, all staring at Derek and waiting for instructions.

"Okay, we're going to split up. Cover our tracks if you will. I'm not sure how they're going to respond to us approaching them, so move cautiously. Lydia, you come with me. Allison, you go with Scott. Danny and Stiles, stick close to the house. As the humans of the pack, you can't protect yourself."

"Hey! Allison's human, too!" Stiles whined, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, but her family is also full of crazy werewolf hunters. And she carries a taser." Allison smirked, her hand going to jacket pocket. "Just stay close to the house, please."

"Hey, I'll stay with Danny," Stiles said, waggling his eyebrows and shrugging. "I'm not going to complain."

"Let me rephrase," Derek said with a sigh. "Stay close to the house and don't spend the entire time making out," Danny snorted, rolling his eyes. "Now, the house is just west of here. We have a little over a mile walk. Keep your phones on you, but make sure they're on vibrate. We don't want a ringing phone giving us away. Keep your ears open and be alert. Once we get to their house, let me go first. I'll try to talk to them. Just be careful."

The pack pulled out their cell phones, making sure they were on vibrate, murmuring good luck to each other. Derek nodded for Allison and Scott to head out, pointing one way. The alpha and Lydia headed off the other way, planning to circle around. Danny watched them go, sighing and turning back to Stiles. The lanky teen pounced, pinning Danny against the old house. Danny moaned against Stiles lips, deepening the kiss. Stiles ran his hands through Danny's hair, his other hand grasping the goalies ass. Stiles bucked his hands up against Danny, who groaned and pulled away.

"We're supposed to be patrolling close to the house, not making out," Danny whispered against Stiles' lips. Stiles groaned.

"Come on! We can make out for a little bit," Stiles whispered back but Danny smirked but shook his head.

"No, come on," he whispered, taking Stiles' hand as he lead the way off the porch. Stiles pouted but followed. They started out as a wide arch around the house, glancing around them as they walked. Stiles pointed out a few track marks, but neither teen knew if it was from their own pack or the unwelcome visitors. They had been wondering around for about twenty minutes when Danny heard a twig snap, making him freeze.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered, squeezing Stiles' hand.

"Maybe it was just Scott and Allison?" Stiles whispered. He flinched when he heard the sound again. Danny turned, seeing a figure standing at the top of the hill, pulling back a bow and arrow.

"Cover your eyes!" Danny yelled, pulling Stiles down with him. A flashbulb arrow his the tree behind them, blinding Stiles. "Run!" Danny yelled, dropping Stiles hand as he ran one way, pushing the awkward teen in the other. Danny cursed when he heard the sound of a gun unlocking. "Run, Stiles!" Danny yelled again, too afraid to look back.

Danny ducked when the first gun shot went off, the bullet lodging into the tree right behind him. Another two bullets were fired, missing both running teens. One last shot went off and Danny froze when he heard Stiles cry out.

"Fuck, Stiles," Danny whimpered, turning and running back towards his boyfriend. The man with the gun seemed to be walking in the opposite direction, pleased with his work. Danny tripped over a tree root, falling to his knees in front of Stiles. "Stiles?" he whispered, paling at the site of all the blood that was pouring out of the pale teen.

"Danny?" Stiles whimpered. "It hurts," he whispered as Danny rolled Stiles on his side, pressing on the bullet hole on the teens back, trying to stop the blood.

"I know, Stiles. I know. Just stay with me," the darker skinned boy whispered, fumbling around in his pocket. He pressed number two on his speed dial, knowing it would call Derek's phone. The phone rang four times before Derek answered.

"What?" the alpha growled, his voice sounding far away. "We're almost to the house."

"Stiles' has been shot." Danny whispered, pressing harder when Stiles let out a loud sob.

"Fuck, what?" Derek asked and Danny let out a shaky breath.

"I don't know who it was. But they had those funky flashbulb arrows that Allison's family used. And then he shot a real gun. I think their wolfbane bullets, but Stiles is really hurt. He's bleeding a lot, Derek, and I don't know what to do."

"Fuck," Derek said, and Danny shifted, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder. "Where are you guys?"

"Close to the house. We headed the opposite direction of you guys. Hurry, Derek, please." Danny hung up, squeezing Stiles arm. "He's coming. Derek's coming, Stiles. He'll know what to do."

"I'm so cold," Stiles whispered, and Danny could feel the tears building up in his eyes. Wasn't that what people always said in the movies right before they slipped into shock and died? "And I can't feel my legs…" Danny took a deep breath, rolling Stiles to his side a bit more. Danny gasped when he looked at the bullet hole; it had gone straight into the teen's spine. Danny cursed, hugging Stiles' body closer to his chest.

"Come on Derek," Danny whispered, pressing hard on the bleeding wound. "Keep talking to me Stiles. Stay awake, okay? Just keep talking."

"Did you know the alpha offered to turn me into a werewolf?" Stiles rambled, his eyes fluttering. "Old alpha. Derek's uncle. Derek killed him and that's how he became our alpha. But old alpha attacked Lydia to get me to help him find Derek. And after I tracked him-thanks for showing me how, by the way-he offered to bite me. But I didn't take it. I didn't want it that way. Do you think Derek ever regrets killing his uncle and becoming the alpha? I mean we're a pretty depressing pack. He probably looks like a horrible alpha compared to all the other packs. But he tries. And I think he likes us. I think he's just worried about Jackson, but who's not worried about Jackson. He has cancer and my mom died of cancer and I hate cancer and if I die my dad's going to be all alone. I don't want him to be all by himself. He loves me and I never listen to him. But I love him, too, cause he's my dad. If I die no one will look out for him and he'll eat curly fries and pizza every meal and he'll have a heart attack at 45 and he'll die too."

Danny swallowed a sob, running his free hand over Stiles' shaved head as he rocked the teen back and forth. He glanced up in fear when he heard another twig nap. He let out a sigh of relief when Derek appeared, shifting back to his human form.

"Fuck," Derek whispered, paling at the blood the teen had already lost.

"Derek, I can't feel my legs," Stiles said. "And my dad's going to have a heart attack when I die and I don't want him to die. I don't want Jackson to die. And I don't want to die, either." Derek cursed again, dropping to his knees.

"Can you do something?" Danny asked, tears falling down his face.

"We have threeish options," Derek whispered, pressing his hand on top of Danny's to increase the pressure on the wound. "We can try to get him to the hospital and he'll either bleed out on the way their or we'll get him there in time and he be paralyzed for the rest of his life. Or we try to keep him calm and he bleeds out here."

"Okay, that's two," Danny gulped. "And I don't like either of them."

"Or…" Derek trailed off, glancing at Stiles who was watching him with drooping eyes. "Or, I bite him. If the bite takes and he survives it, the wolf will heal the gunshot wound."

"Okay, do the third one," Danny said, staring up at Derek.

"No, Stiles has to tell me what to do. This has to be Stiles' choice," Derek said, searching the teens face.

"I don't want to die," Stiles whispered, swallowing thickly. "And I don't think I'd be good at using a wheelchair. I…I want the bite."

"Stiles, you've got to know you might not survive the bite, either," Derek whispered, pressing harder on the wound when Danny's hand slid away.

"I…I know. But we can try. Let's try." Derek sighed and nodding. He nodded for Danny to put his hand back on the wound as he tore Stiles' shirt away. "I need to get as close to your heart as possible. This is probably going to hurt." Stiles closed his eyes as Derek painlessly shifts into his wolf form. He took a deep breath and sunk his teeth into Stiles shoulder.

The teen screamed, his eyes clenched shut as his body went tense. He moaned as Derek pulled away, wiping at his mouth. It wasn't long before Stiles blacked out from pain, going slack in Danny's arms.

"Is he?" The goalie trailed off, looking up at Derek with wide eyes.

"He's still breathing," Derek whispered. He pulled Stiles' keys out of the teens pockets and handed them to Danny. "I'm going to take him someplace to keep an eye on him until the bite takes. Someplace different than where I took Jackson, so don't bother asking him. Just take his jeep home and try to come up with something to tell his dad for the time being."

"Sherriff Stilinski is out of town for some kind of National Security work shop. He won't be home until Saturday," Danny whispered as Derek lifted the unconscious teen into his arms.

"Good. As long as everything goes as plan he should be good by then. And I'll have Melissa go with me and explain to the Sherriff about werewolves…He's strong, Danny. He'll be okay." Danny nodded, climbing to his feet. "Can you go to the hospital and sit with Jackson? I won't be able to be with him until I'm sure Stiles is going to make it." Danny flinched but nodded, biting his lip.

"Yeah, I've got Jax. Don't worry about him. Just make sure Stiles is okay." Derek nodded, climbing into his Camaro after putting Stiles in the passenger seat. Danny crossed his arms as he watched them drive away. Allison, Scott and Lydia joined him shortly after.

"Where's Stiles?" Scott panted. "Why are you covered in blood?"

"Stiles got shot," Danny whispered. "Derek bit him; hopefully it'll save him. He took him someplace safe…" Danny flinched as Lydia hugged him from behind.

"It'll be okay," she whispered. Danny just shrugged.

* * *

Jackson woke up slowly, squinting at the light coming in from the window. He glanced at the body sitting in the chair next to him, cocking his head to the side when he realized it was Danny.

"D?" he asked, making his friend jump.

"Hey, Jax," Danny whispered, moving to the edge of his seat.

"How was last night?" Jackson asked, reaching for his glass of water. Danny let out a shaky breath.

"Not good," Danny said, biting his lip when Jackson chocked on his water. "I..Uh… Jackson, Derek had to bite Stiles last night."

"What?" Jackson asked, his eyes wide.

"There's a new pack of hunters in the area; not connected to the Argents at all. In, Chris didn't know about them until it was too late. But while the rest of the pack was moving in on the other pack, Stiles and I were supposed to stay close to the house. And this hunter thought we were werewolves apparently. And Stiles got shot; it hit his spine and he almost bled out before Derek got back to us. He kept saying he was so cold and that he couldn't feel his legs…"

"Fuck," Jackson whispered when Danny trailed off. The taller teen tried to climb off the bed, cursing again when the oxygen tubes reminded him he was tethered.

"Derek gave him the choice. It was either try to get him here without bleeding out and he'd be paralyzed for the rest of his life, let him bleed out there, or become a werewolf. Obviously Stiles picked werewolf."

"Where are they now?" Jackson asked, reaching for Danny's hand.

"Derek said he was taking him someplace safe to watch him until the bite took hold. He said some place different than where he took you."

"I should hope so," Jackson mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. "He took me down by the lake. If the bite didn't take I probably would have drowned. We weren't together then…"

"It took an hour to wash all the blood off last night..." Danny whispered. "He's going to be okay, right?" Danny asked, looking up at Jackson with wide eyes.

"Yeah, he's going to be okay," Jackson answered, nodding. "Derek will make sure of it." Danny gulped but nodded.

"Platonic cuddle?" he whispered and Jackson smirked. He rolled on his side, moving to the edge of the bed.

"Platonic cuddle," he answered, holding the blankets up for Danny to crawl in behind him. The two boys fell asleep, each worrying about the men in their life.

* * *

_**AN**__: I hope you liked it! Please review!_


	12. Chapter 12

_I don't own Teen Wolf._

* * *

**No One Does It Better: Chapter 12**

Derek groaned as he glanced at his watch again, pulling at his hair. He had taken Stiles' to Ruth's old house which was still abandoned deep in the woods. He had laid the teen on a mattress that had been left behind and watched in despair as his fever grew. The normally spastic teen would regularly moan and whimper, and it wasn't lost on Derek that he never moved his legs when he burrowed deeper into the lump mattress. Ruth's words repeatedly replayed in the alpha's head;

"_The wolf is picky on what it heals, Derek. Recent physical injuries, bruises, sore muscles, colds, the flu…_"

The wolf had to heal Stiles, right? Ruth said recent physical injuries and Derek had bit Stiles as soon as he could. The bite just had to take. That's all Derek needed; for the bite to take. He sat awake for hours, watching as Stiles alternated between whimpering and screaming in his barely conscious state. Sometimes he would beg for Derek to just kill him; it had to be less painful. Sometimes he would cry that he had to be strong for his father. Sometimes he could cry for his mother; that hurt Derek the most, knowing the teen's mother had died when he was little. Sometimes Stiles would fall quiet, his breathing coming in rasps.

Scott had explained what had happened to his mother, and since Melissa was supposed to watch Stiles while the sheriff was out of town, she called him into school each day so nothing looked suspicious. Derek had turned his phone off at first, but when Scott tracked them down on scent alone (and Derek couldn't help but admit how proud he was that the teen had finally figured out how to scent someone), and told Derek he was a dumbass, Derek turned it back on.

"Your boyfriend is battling what the doctors now think is Stage 3 ALL and is currently stuck in the hospital because he's too sick to go home. And you have to balls to turn off your fucking phone?" The beta had growled, his eyes turning gold. "What if something happened, huh? What if something happened with Jackson and we couldn't get a hold of you until it was too late, huh? Turn your fucking phone back on. And while I'm at it, what's going on with Stiles? He's my best friend, I deserve to know."

Derek hadn't answered, merely throwing Scott from the house and locking the door behind him. After pacing the porch for another ten minutes, Scott had fled.

It had taken a full thirty-six hours before the fever finally broke. Stiles had shifted, looking up at Derek. After a moment of panic, Derek let out a sigh of relief as the teen's eyes burnt gold and his teeth grew longer. The new werewolf had swallowed thickly a couple times, blinking at Derek.

"I can feel my legs," He whispered, and Derek let out a sigh of relief, crouching down next to Stiles.

"How do you feel?" he asked, not wanting to touch the teen in case something was wrong.

"I still can't move…" the teen whimpered, and Derek squeezed his shoulder.

"Just give it a bit, Stiles," Derek whispered back. "It might take the wolf a little longer to completely heal you. But you can feel your legs, right? That's a good sign."

Stiles had whimpered again but nodded. He let his eyes fall shut as Derek quietly moved around the room. A few moments later, Derek crouched down next to Stiles again and helped him sit up slowly.

"Here," he said, holding out a water bottle which Stiles took with shaking hands. "Don't drink too fast. I don't want you puking it back up." Stiles took deep gulps, staring up Derek with hooded eyes. The alpha sat down next to Stiles on the mattress as the teen leaned on his hands.

"My dad?" He asked, not meeting Derek's eyes.

"Did you know Scott can imitate your voice?" Derek asked, a small smirk on his face. "He's actually pretty good at it. He has your phone and has answered when he's called. And Melissa's been calling you into school, so it's not like they're going to call him to double check."

"I don't want to keep this from him…" Stiles trailed off, watching as his toe slowly twitched.

"And we won't," Derek said, scratching his head. "Once you're dad gets back and town, we'll tell him. Melissa said she'd come; he'd probably be more likely to believe us and less likely to kill me." Stiles snorted, this time his foot twitching.

"Jackson?" he asked, glancing at Derek.

"Danny and Allison have been sitting with him. I've been here with you since Tuesday night."

"Oh…" Stiles said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Stiles. Keeping you alive was a little more important at the moment. And I'll go see him as soon as I get you home."

"Did we figure anything out about the other pack?" Stiles asked, his foot twitching.

"No, you got shot before we got to the house. I barely made it back to you in time…" Derek whispered, his hands hovering over Stiles as the teen slowly sat up.

"Sorry," Stiles said again, looking down. "I ruin everything."

"Keeping you alive was more important to me than dealing with the other pack, Stiles. You don't ruin anything." Derek took Stiles' elbow, helping to haul him to his feet. The teen swayed slightly, his grip almost painfully tight on Derek's arm. He took a deep breath and slowly lifted his leg, leaning heavily on Derek as he shuffled forward. Stiles smirked up at the Alpha, taking another step.

"Told you you'd be fine," Derek said, letting go of Stiles arm. "Let's get you home." Derek snorted as Stiles took a few more tentative steps forward before tripping and falling on his face. "Only you would be a clumsy werewolf."

* * *

Derek ran around to the passenger side of the car, his hands hovering as he made sure Stiles didn't fall on his face again as he climbed out of the Camaro. Stiles threw his arm around Derek's shoulders, walking slowly up the walk. They both froze when they heard the front door swing open.

"What did you do to my son?" Sheriff Stilinski yelled, pulling his gun from his belt.

"Dad! What are you doing?" Stiles yelled, swaying slightly on his feet.

"I said, what did you do to my son?" the sheriff repeated, unlocking his gun.

"Dad I'm fine!" Stiles said, glancing behind him as a black car pulled up. Melissa jumped out of the driver seat and ran to the three men.

"Sorry! Sorry I'm late! I didn't know he'd be home so soon!" She said out of breath, pausing with wide eyes. "Why is your gun out?"

"Mr. Stilinski," Derek started, his hands out in a peaceful gesture. "I mean Sheriff Stilinksi. Stiles is okay. But we need to talk about some things. All of us, including Mrs. McCall." The sheriff stared at him, before nodding, unlocking his gun. Stiles lunged forward, tripping slightly and taking the gun away from his father.

"Just in case," he mumbled, leading the way inside.

Twenty minutes later, after both Derek and Stiles had wolfed out at least once, Melissa had stopped Sheriff Stilinski from going for his gun twice, and the sheriff had broken into his liquor cabinet and drained half a bottle of Jack Daniels, the group stared at each other.

"Werewolf's are real," Dave Stilinski said after a while, taking a gulp of his beer.

"Yes," Derek said quietly.

"And my son is a werewolf," Dave whispered.

"Yes," Stiles said, staring at his hands.

"And there is a pack of werewolves trying to take over our town."

"Possibly," Derek said. "We're not really sure why they're here." Derek said, moving to the edge of the his seat.

"You turned my son into a werewolf," the sheriff said, looking up and meeting Derek's eyes.

"Yes," Derek said softly, watching the older man. Even the alpha couldn't move fast enough when Dave Stilinski launched himself at Derek, punching him in the face.

"Dad!" Stiles yelled, jumping to his feet and trying to pull his dad of off Derek, only swaying slightly.

"He turned you into a werewolf!"

"He saved my life!" Stiles yelled back, his grip tight on his dad's shoulders as he pulled him back. "I could have been paralyzed the rest of my life; or worse, dead. Derek did a good thing." The sheriff panted, glaring at Derek.

"Get out of my house," he growled, and Derek didn't think twice before climbing to his feet and almost running from the house.

* * *

Derek groaned as he fell face first on his bed in his apartment, absolutely exhausted. In the past seventy-two hours, he'd almost lost one of the humans in his pack, turned said human into a wolf, made sure said human didn't die, told said human's sheriff father that werewolves did exist and then been punched the said sheriff. Not that it really mattered, the punch had healed and is didn't even really hurt. It had just been an exhausting three days.

Derek was just drifting on when his phones started ringing at full volume. He cursed, feeling around on his bed side table without looking and accepted the call.

"This better be important," he growled, knowing his eyes were turning red.

"Oh," Jackson said, his voice full of disappointment. "Um, it's not really. I can just let you go…"

"Fuck, no, J," Derek said, rolling over with his eyes still shut. "Sorry, how are you?"

"I'm okay," Jackson said quietly. "They released me from the hospital a couple hours ago. I just wanted to call and make sure everything's okay. I haven't seen you since Wednesday, and Danny hasn't had much information…."

"Yeah, everything's okay. Stiles is good; he can feel his legs and walk. We've talked to his dad already, granted he punched me in the face for biting his son, but he already knows. I'm sure Stiles will talk him into helping us."

"Good," Jackson said, and Derek winced at the wet cough the teen let out.

"You sure you're okay?" Derek asked, letting his eyes blink open.

"As okay as can be expected. I mean they released me; if it was something too horrible, they wouldn't have let me come home. Dr. Woodhouse wants me to use the oxygen all the time now, but other than that I don't think much has changed."

"That's good," Derek mumbled, letting his eyes fall shut. "J, I'm really tired."

"No, no I get it. Mom just wanted to know if you wanted to come to dinner, but I'll tell her you're busy. Danny told her you'd been out of town dealing with family stuff and that's why you haven't been around the past couple days."

"J…" Derek trailed off with a sigh. "You don't have to lie for me…Do you want me to come to dinner."

"No, it's fine. I'm not hungry anyway. And You're my mate, of course I have to lie for you. Good night, Der. I love you." Derek could here Jackson yawning and he felt a pang in his chest.

"I love you, too," he whispered, disconnecting the call.

* * *

Derek stood in line at the small pharmacy, checking his phone again to make sure he was at the right place. Jackson's mom had asked him to swing by and pick up some of Jackson's prescriptions before he came by the house that night for a make-up dinner.

"I left a check with the pharmacist, so you just have to pick them up. There should be about five things; pain pills, breathing treatments, and three different ones for the cancer treatment," Carol had said over the phone and Derek had ran a hand over his face.

"Got it. I'll be there around four," Derek had said, taping a few keys on Mrs. Prater's computer that he was trying to fix.

"Thank you, sweetheart! See you tonight," Carol had said, and Derek hated how happy she always sounded.

Now he was next in line, glancing up to see a familiar looking girl smiling at him.

"Hey Derek, I'm just finishing up Jackson's Percocet. Carol hadn't been sure when you'd be here so I'm afraid I let it go to the last minute," she said with a shrug and Derek was struggling to remember how he knew her. She turned, and he could see a name tag on her white coat. It read "Lindsay, Pharmacist," and it finally clicked that Derek had graduated with her.

"No problem, Lindsay," he said quietly, giving her a small smile. "How have you been since high school?" She held up a finger as she counted out the pills.

"Sorry, don't want to lose count with 120," she said, marking something in a big book next to her. "But I've been good. Ended up marrying Jake McNary last year. We're talking about kids," she said with a grin, pouring the pills into a large orange bottle. Derek gave her a small smile, trying to be polite. "How about you?" she asked, glancing at a computer screen as she checked the last of Jackson's prescriptions.

"Good. Laura and I had moved to New York right after high school. I moved back last year after she was killed," Derek said, rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Yeah, I heard about that. I'm sorry for your loss, Derek. Seems like you've always had the short end of the stick.

"Yeah, I guess. But I've been with Jackson for about five months. Things are pretty good."

"He's a good kid," she said with a smile. Too bad about the cancer, but life's not fair sometimes I guess." She bent below the counter, pulling up a big bag that made Derek raise an eyebrow. "Albuterol," Lindsay said with a sad smile. "For his breathing treatments. Carol told me about the mets in his lungs; this may help him breathe a little better for a while."

"Hopefully," Derek mumbled, shifting his weight.

"Anyway, we've got the albuterol for his lungs, Percocet for pain, prednisone, methotrexate to help with the tumors, and hydroxyzine to keep him from breaking out too much from the next stuff the doctor gave him at the hospital. I heard he got pretty itchy from it." Derek raised a brow, but didn't comment.

"Yeah, wasn't much fun," he mumbled when she looked at him expectantly. He picked up the pen and waited for her to bring up the page he needed to sign. She entered the check into the register, stapling the receipt to the bag before handing it over the Derek.

"Tell Carol that if Jackson decides the Percocet isn't strong enough for the pain, I can try to order the morphine in for him. If we can't get it, I can call around to someone that can," Lindsay said, the sad smile on her face again. "I hope everything starts working out, Derek. I'll be thinking about you guys."

"Thanks," Derek said with a nod, turning on his toes. He paused outside his car, hating himself for how much he dreaded going over the Jackson's. He sighed, dropping into the passenger seat and letting his head fall back. This had to be the longest week ever.

* * *

Jackson was sitting on the back porch when Derek got to the Whittemore's house. He gave Carol a small smile as he opened the bag of prescriptions and pulled out the pain pill. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and slid the sliding glass door open gently.

"Hey, J," he said, and Jackson glanced up, pulling the blanket that was wrapped around him tighter to his body. The oxygen tubes were placed in his nose, making his face look small.

"Hey," he said quietly, turning his head and coughing.

"You need these?" Derek asked, placing the bottle of Percocet down in front of the teen.

"No, I'm okay for now," he whispered, following Derek's every move as the alpha pulled a chair over to where Jackson was sitting. He reached out, slipping his hand into the blanket. He intertwined his fingers into Jackson's , squinting at the bruises on the teens wrist. "Full moon's next week," Jackson mumbled, and Derek nodded.

"You nervous?" he asked, and Jackson shrugged.

"It's going to hurt," he said with a shrug. Derek sighed and squeezed Jackson's hand.

"I got a text from Ruth. She's sent this thing called a jade vine. It's supposed to keep you from wolfing out. She said she'd going to put it in a bracelet or something so the doctor won't questions it if you happen to be in the hospital over the full moon or something. We might still need to strap you down, but Melissa said she'd already got herself scheduled on the full moon for the next three months."

"Okay," Jackson said, glancing up as Carol slid open the back door, a nebulizer in her hand.

"I think Derek can help you this time," she said with a grin, and Derek had to keep himself from flinching. She watched as Carol set up the machine and left them with a pat to Jackson's shoulder. Jackson sighed, grimacing as he fit the mouth piece in his mouth, taking deep breaths of the medicine.

"Hey, J," Derek said quietly, and Jackson glanced up at Derek. "I'm going to have to run to New York this week. I've still got an apartment full of stuff there and Laura and mines lease is almost up." Jackson let out a deep breath, coughing slightly, his eyes wide.

"What?" The teen mumbled. Derek sighed, running a hand through his hand.

"I'm going to head out tomorrow. I'll be back by Thursday, Friday at the latest."

"The team fundraiser is Thursday, Jackson mumbled and Derek nodded.

"I'll do my best to be back by then. I promise." Jackson sighed, fitting the mouth piece back in his mouth. Derek crossed his arms as he sat back, hating how awkward things were anymore.

* * *

"Are you sure this is okay?" Danny asked, typing away steadily, his finger hesitating over the enter key.

"Yes," Derek said, giving Danny a look.

"Does Jackson know about this? The last time I tried to he flipped out."

"Well in case you don't realize, Jackson's getting worse. So he doesn't get a say in this anymore," Derek said, crossing his arms. Danny sighed, tapping a few more keys and sitting back. After a three minute wait the computer binged and Danny sat forward and wrote down what was on the screen.

"Here. I can't find anything about him, but she's still in California. I still think this is a bad idea."

"Doesn't matter," Derek growled, taking the paper from Danny. "Thanks, see you in a couple days."

He glanced down at the paper, biting his lip.

_"Lilly Mays O'Connor. 5674 Washington Way, San Diego ."_ Danny was right, this could be a horrible idea.

* * *

_**AN**__: Please review. Thanks!_


	13. Chapter 13

_I don't own Teen Wolf_

* * *

**No One Does It Better: Chapter 13**

"Stiles has everything set up. Coach is offering extra credit for every guy who helps serve. Everyone has shifts and I'm pretty sure no one even complained about it. Last time I counted we'd sold like 800 tickets. And they're selling tickets at the door too. We aren't going to stay long; an hour maybe. Long enough for you to take some pictures, give a little thank you speech and maybe if you're aren't too much of a pain of an ass, we can bring you some back here, too."

"Yes Daddy Danny," Jackson said with a roll of his eyes. With a groan he sat up and slowly pulled on the pair of jeans Danny had brought him to the hospital. Jackson climbed to his feet, frowning at the jeans that he was pretty sure had been tight the last time he had worn them but now they were almost two sizes too big. Danny nodded at the bag and Jackson grinned at the belt Danny had brought.

"Ha. Ha. Fuck you," Danny said, rolling his eyes.

"My parents?" Jackson asked, sliding the tubes out of his nose so he could pull on a sweatshirt.

"They'll be there once they get off work," Danny said with a shrug. "Your dad's partner actually footed a lot of the bills for this thing, so I'm sure Mr. Prescott will be there, too."

"Derek?" Jackson asked, putting the tubes back in his nose as he pulled up the hood of his lacrosse sweatshirt.

"I have no idea; no one's heard from his since he left Monday. Hasn't he called you?" Jackson shook his head, chewing on his chapped lower lip.

"He left late Sunday night as far as I'm aware. I got brought back in here Monday night. I've tried calling him but he doesn't answer his phone. He said he'd try to be back by tonight for the dinner but I don't know. I mean, I hope he remembers tomorrow's the full moon 'cause he's got whatever that thing is that's supposed to keep me from wolfing out. So I don't know what's going on."

"Okay, boys," Melissa said, pushing in a wheelchair with a portable oxygen tank flung over her shoulder.

"I don't need that," Jackson said, looking at the chair like it was poison.

"Yes you do," Danny said, glaring at him. "And you're going to sit in it and not be a pain in the ass." Melissa grinned as she unhooking the oxygen tubes from the wall and putting them on the portable tank.

"I'm assuming I don't have to tell you to leave these in, do I?" She asked Jackson with a small smile and Jackson grinned shaking his head. "Now, you know your immune system sucks."

"Why is that everyone's start to a conversation recently?" Jackson asked rolling his eyes. Melissa snorted, pushing Jackson's sleeve up and pulling a needle out of the pocket of her scrubs.

"'Cause it's the truth," Danny said and Jackson glared at him.

"This is going to boost your white blood cell count enough for tonight. But try to keep away from anyone you can tell is sick."

"Got it," Jackson said, not even flinching when the needle entered his skin.

"If you get tired, or if you feel sick, come back here right away."

"Got it," Jackson said again, climbing to his feet and dropping down in the wheelchair. "Want me to bring you back some spaghetti?" Jackson asked Melissa, a small smile on his face.

"If you think about it, yeah, that'd be nice." Melissa said, patting his shoulder.

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" Danny asked, flinching when Jackson swatted at him.

* * *

"There you guys are! I thought you weren't coming! Danny! The guy who owns the Sweet Feed store a town over gave us a $1000 check! That's like $5000 right there! Now come on! Everyone's waiting for Jackson! Let's go!" Stiles waved his arms wildly, pointing to the school. Danny smirked, waving him off as he helped Jackson out of the car.

"You know, I thought that once he got bit maybe he'd clam down a bit. Obviously I was wrong." Danny laughed, hanging the oxygen tank off the back of the chair and pushing Jackson towards the school.

"Derek says maybe after a while he'll calm down. The Adderall is still a must, but Stiles says it makes him stink so he doesn't like to take it."

"It does make him stink. But that kids going to drive you nuts," Jackson said, smirking back at Danny.

"I can take it from here," a voice said, and Jackson tensed turning back to come eye to eye with Derek.

"Der," he whispered as Danny lifted his hands in surrender and backed away.

"I said I'd be back for the dinner," Derek said, crouching down. He ran his hand over the hospital wrist band on Jackson's wrist and glanced up at his face.

"My fever went back up Monday morning and mom couldn't get it down so she took me back to the hospital. And my blood cell counts are really low so I've only been released long enough to take a couple pictures here and say thanks." Derek ran his thumb over the back of Jackson's knuckles. "I tried calling you, but it just kept going to voicemail. I didn't want to tell you in a message, 'cause that's kind of rude."

"I'm sorry," Derek whispered, leaning forward and kissing Jackson's forehead. "Now let's go get some spaghetti."

* * *

Jackson's cheeks hurt and he felt like he'd said thank you about a million times. He stood slowly, holding tight to his mother's hand as the Whitmore's stood behind the podium at the front of the cafeteria. He kept his gaze low as his father thanked everyone for coming to the dinner and supporting their family.

"It means a lot to our family that you were all so willing to help us out. This has been a hard time for Carol, Jackson and myself, and your support means so much to us. A special thanks to Stiles Stilinski for organizing this whole thing. And thank you, once again, to everyone coming out tonight."

The Whitmore's stood together as the newspaper photographer took a picture. Jackson sighed as his father pulled his hood down but he leaned heavily on his father's arm, trying to give a small smile for the camera. Derek stood near-by, ready to catch him at any wrong movement.

Jackson's sat back heavily in the wheelchair, pulling his hood back up. Derek stood waiting for hi, a plate of spaghetti in his hands. "I figured we'd let you eat before dragging you back to the hospital," Derek said quietly. Jackson grinned, picking up the breadstick Derek offered him. "How you feeling?"

"Tired. But it was good to get out. Good to see people who aren't wearing scrubs or stabbing needles in my arm."

"Even if that person is Greenburg?" Derek asked, smirking as the blonde boy tripped past their table.

"Even if that person's Greenburg," Jackson said with a grin. "Did you get everything sorted out in New York?"

"I actually didn't make it that far," Derek said, rubbing at his eye. "I forgot about the moon to be perfectly honest. I got halfway there and turned back. I'll still have to next week."

"Gentlemen," a voice said, and Derek sighed as he looked up to see Chris Argent standing in front of their table.

"Chris," Derek said with a nod.

"Mr. Argent," Jackson said, biting his lip.

"How have you been doing Jackson? Allison's been real worried about you."

"I'm doing the best I can, Mr. Argent," Jackson said, dipping his head.

"Think I can talk to you gentlemen about what's been going on?" Mr. Argent said, pulling out a chair at the table.

"We've actually got to get Jackson back to the hospital soon," Derek said, clearing his throat. "He's pretty tired and I don't want him to get run down any more than he has to."

"This won't take long, I promise. Have you learned anything about this other pack?"

"No, we haven't," Derek said quietly. "The night we were going to approach them was the night Stiles was shot. Obviously that ruined any plans I had."

"Yes, Mr. Stilinski…"

"Before you start, Argent," Derek said, pointing at the older man across the table. "Would you had rather me left him to die? Would you rather me left him to be paralyzed for the rest of his life and have him die of some infection he couldn't fight off later?"

"I understand. I really do. I don't consider this breaking the pact. But if he hurts anyone…"

"No, I get it. I'll keep an eye on him as long as you're running inference with that other pack of hunters. I won't have any more of my pack getting hurt because they don't follow the pact."

"As soon as I figure out who the other group of hunters are, I'll do the best I can. Now, is there anything else you can find out about the other pack?"

"I plan on approaching them again after the full moon. No use approaching them when everyone's on edge and hostile."

"Of course, of course. Keep me posted. Do you have plans as to what to do for Jackson on the full moon."

"Yes, but if you don't mind I'd like to keep those plans to myself. But I promise you he'll be safe," Derek said, a growl to his voice. Chris nodded, knocking on the table. Jackson bit his lip, looking back and forth between his boyfriend and the older hunter.

"I'll let you two get back to the hospital then. Good luck Jackson. Stay strong."

"Thank you, sir," Jackson said quietly.

"Let's go, J," Derek said, standing up and taking the handles of the wheelchair.

"We've got to get Melissa some spaghetti," Jackson said, glancing up at Derek. "I promised."

Derek snorted. "One meal, to go please."

* * *

"There he is," Melissa said with a small smile as Derek pushed Jackson down the hallway. The sick teen looked up at her with bleary eyes, a small smile on his face. "How you feeling sweetheart?" she asked, putting a cold hand to Jackson's warm forehead.

"Tired. But it was nice. Stiles did a good job putting it all together. It was pretty impressive."

"Was this werewolf calm Stiles, or was this full of Adderall Stiles?" Melissa asked, her hands on her hips.

"Both," Derek said, a smirk on his face.

"I brought you spaghetti," Jackson said, holding out the box. "And I think its warm still."

"Why thank you," Melissa said, her smile growing larger as she took the box. "Such a considerate young man. Scott only brings me food when he wants something."

"Well keep this in mind for later when I want something," Jackson said, letting out a wet cough as he laughed.

"Come on, you," Melissa said, gesturing for Derek to push him back to his room. She helped get him hooked back up to the IV pole next to his bed. "You in much pain?" she asked, pausing before getting the drip set back up.

"A little," Jackson said quietly, not meeting her eyes.

"Okay, let's get you nice and drugged up," Melissa said, hitting a few buttons. "Now, Derek can I ask what the plan is for tomorrow night? Everyone else's shifts end about an hour before the moon rises so that leaves just me. Are we still needing to tie him up?"

"Why does everyone talk about me like I'm not here?" Jackson asked, rolling his eyes.

"I feel like we probably should. Especially since this is the first time we've used the Jade Vine and I don't want to put all our eggs in one basket."

"Sounds reasonable. I'll get the restraints from psych and have everything ready to go by 8:30 tomorrow," Melissa said, patting Jackson's arm.

"I'll stick around just to make sure everything goes right, but then I've got to get back to Stiles. This is his first full moon and I don't trust Scott and Lydia alone to keep an eye on him."

"Wait, you aren't going to stay with me?" Jackson said, sitting up so fast that he made himself dizzy.

"J, it's Stiles' first full moon. It's not safe to leave him alone. It's just this once. I promise. Everything's going to be okay."

"Right, you're going to tie me up and leave me in a hospital full of people while I wolf out. Got it." Jackson curled up on his side, turning away from Derek.

"I'll let you two talk," Melissa said, picking up her take out box. "Call me if you need me. But let me eat first."

"J," Derek whispered, sitting on the edge of Jackson's bed. "I know you're upset. But I promise you this'll work out. I promise."

"Whatever," Jackson said, letting his eyes fall shut.

* * *

"It smells," Scott said, wrinkling his nose as Derek opened the small box.

"Thanks, Captain obvious," Jackson said, biting his lip as Derek fastened the bracelet around Jackson's wrist.

"Don't think this is overkill, but I've got one for around your neck, too," Derek whispered, burring his face in the crock of Jackson's neck and breathing deep.

"It really does reek," Jackson whispered, letting his eyes fall shut as Derek fastened the necklace around his neck.

"How tight do these have to be, Derek?" Melissa asked quietly as she carefully fit a one restraint over Jackson's ankle.

"Tight enough that if he wolfs out he won't tear through them easily," Derek said quietly. Jackson swallowed thickly as Derek leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips. "It's going to be okay. Just keep breathing." Jackson nodded, watching helplessly as Derek fitted the wrist straps around Jackson's wrist. He flinched as Derek tightened them, the alpha placing another kiss on Jackson's forehead.

"Derek, we've got to go," Scott said, looking out the window. "Stiles is waiting. And Danny's staying with him until we get back there and I'd like to remind you that Danny's still human."

"Go ahead," Derek said. "I'm just going to wait until the moon goes up. I'll be back to the house soon after, okay? Just tell Stiles to stay calm."

"Yeah, got it," Scott said, hugging his mom slightly. "Good luck, Jackson," he said quietly. Jackson let out a deep breath as he nodded.

"Hey McCall?" he called as Scott started to leave. Scott paused and turned back. "Tell Stiles if he tries to eat Danny I'll kill him myself."

"Got it," Scott said with a small grin. Jackson pulled at the restraints a little, huffing under his breath.

"It shouldn't be much longer," Derek whispered and Melissa bit her lip.

"I have to go check on a couple more patients. I'll be back though, just in case okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jackson whispered watching as Melissa left the room. Derek paced at the foot of Jackson's bed, periodically peeking out through the blinds to check the progress of the moon.

"If you're going to tie me up and then leave me, can you at least come and sit with me before the moon goes up? All this pacing is making me anxious."

"Yeah. Yeah, sorry," Derek said, perching on the edge of Jackson's bed. Jackson pulled against the restraint again, trying to get to Derek's hand. Derek sighed and took Jackson's hand, squeezing tight. "It's going to be okay."

"Yeah, I know," Jackson whispered. "This stuff smells. Like really bad."

"Well at least you only have to wear it on the full moon. And as long as it works it's worth it." The two boys stayed silent, Derek squeezing Jackson's hand. Jackson tensed when the moon started going up, his eyes going wide. "You're okay," Derek whispered, running his hand over the back of Jackson's smooth head. "You're okay."

Jackson gasped, his eyes flipping back and forth from turquoise and green. His teeth grew longer and he arched his back, the restraints holding tight.

"Deep breaths, Jackson," Derek whispered placing a kiss on Jackson's forehead. "Deep breaths, J." Jackson whimpered, lying flat against the bed. He clinched his eyes shut, his breath coming out in gasps. "Open your eyes, J," Derek whispered, running his hand up Jackson's arm. "Let me see, open your eyes." Jackson let out a shaky breath, looking up at Derek. "It's working," he whispered, kissing Jackson's forehead.

"Can you untie me?" Jackson asked, his breathing starting to even out.

"I don't want to risk it, babe. Just try to get some sleep and I'll be back to untie you in the morning, okay? I've got to go check on Stiles. I love you J."

"I love you, too," Jackson whispered, letting his eyes fall shut and expecting Derek to be there when he woke up. Only Derek didn't come back.

* * *

Derek ran a hand through his hair as he parallel parked in front of a two story brick house on Washington Way. It had taken him entirely too long to get to San Diego in his opinion and he hoped he'd still have the nerve. With a last sigh, he double checked the address before climbing out of the Camaro. A big yellow Lab ran out to meet him at the edge of the side walk. The dog sat, cocking his head to the side as Derek scratched behind his ears. The dog whined low in his throat before rolling over on his back, submitting to the alpha. Derek smirked but kept walking.

Derek climbed the three steps to the front door and rang the doorbell. A few moments later a beautiful lady with strawberry blonde hair answered the door.

"Hi, can I help you?" She asked, her hand on her hip.

"Um, Lilly Mays?" Derek asked and she cocked her head to the side.

"Well, it's O'Connor now, but yes. And you are?"

"You had a son 17, almost 18 years ago. You gave him up for adoption here in San Diego. You named him Patrick," Derek said quietly.

"How did you…You're not…Patrick?" Lilly said, her green eyes wide.

"No, I'm not your son." Derek reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out one of Jackson's senior pictures. "This is your son," Derek said, licking his lips. "He was adopted when he was five years old by the Whittemore's in Beacon Hills. They renamed him Jackson. He was co-captain of the lacrosse team and is one of the smartest in the senior class at Beacon Hills. Jackson is my boyfriend." Lilly reached out and took the picture, her hands shaking as she ran her fingers over Jackson's smiling face.

"Um…um, come in. What was your name again?"

"Derek, Derek Hale." Derek followed her into the house, his hands deep in his coat pocket. He perched on the edge of the chair Lilly pointed at as she pulled open drawers in the desk in the corner. She bit her lip and turned back.

"This is Parker," she said, her voice shaking. "He was my high school sweetheart. I got pregnant the spring of our junior year." Derek took the picture she offered, taking in the picture of a much younger Lilly and an attractive blonde man in a football jersey. "We wanted to keep Patrick, we really did. But Parker was in a car accident coming home from out senior prom. A drunk driver hit him head on and Parker was killed on impact. I just couldn't keep him after that. I couldn't do it….Are the…the Whittemore's? Are they good people?"

"They're very good people; they're both lawyers. But Carol only works part time so she still spends a lot of time with Jackson. He's a little spoiled and cocky, but I couldn't imagine him any other way. They really care about him. He's a good kid."

"I never thought it'd take almost five years for someone to adopt him…" Lilly trailed off.

"I'm not sure why it took so long. But the Whittemore's are really good with him."

"I hate to ask as to why you're here and Pat-Jackson isn't?" Lilly asked, biting her lip.

"Jackson actually doesn't know I'm here. He doesn't want to meet you; as far as I'm aware he's been very clear about that. But…Jackson has cancer. He's been diagnosed with Stage 3 ALL. He's been going through chemo for about four months now, and if anything I think he's just getting worse. His doctor has started talking about a bone marrow transplant and neither the Whittemore's or myself are the right blood type. I mean I don't know if they're even going to go through with the transplant but we might need someone…"

"Oh my God…" Lilly whispered her eyes wide.

"He's a fighter," Derek said, his voice even. "He's not giving up. But we might not have a choice. He's a fighter and he's a good kid and he's really smart. He got into USC, wants to be a social worker but I think he's going to take a year off. It just depends on treatment and stuff. As long as he gets better. And I don't know what to do."

"If…If you need someone for the transplant, I'll be tested. I…I'm sure he doesn't want to meet me, but I'll be tested if you need me." Derek nodded at the woman in front of him, his thanks written all over his face.

"Derek," Lilly called as he walked back out to his car. "I'm glad he has someone like you in his life. Someone like you to love him." Derek let out a shaky breath and nodded, climbing back in his car without a second glance.

* * *

_**AN**__: I Hope you liked it! Please review._


	14. Chapter 14

_I don't own Teen Wolf._

* * *

**No One Does It Better: Chapter 14**

"You had no right!" Jackson yelled, and Derek let out a sigh while he pinched the bridge of his nose. He was thankful that Jackson had at least waited for his parents to leave before going off on Derek but that didn't mean he was prepared for it. "You had no right to go to her, or to use my best friend to even find her!"

"Jackson…" Derek said quietly, his eyes pleading.

"No! I don't want anything to do with them. They lost that right when they gave me away. I don't want to meet them; I don't want them to know anything about my life. I don't need them!"

"Jackson, listen to me," Derek said, reaching out and grabbing Jackson's hand as the teen tried to pull the oxygen tubes out of his nose and get out of bed. "She's agreed to be tested; to see if her bone marrows a match. She said she'll do it."

"I don't care!" Jackson said, the bitterness clear in his voice. "I don't want anything from either of them!"

"Her, Jackson. There isn't a them anymore."

"Let me guess, he left her when she got knocked up?" Jackson sneered, his eyes flashing turquoise.

"Stop," Derek growled and Jackson huffed, looking away.

"They were just a couple of stupid kids. They're not real parents. And I don't care if she's a match; I don't want her fucking marrow in my body."

"Jackson, your birth father died when you were just a baby. He was killed in a car accident. That's why Lilly gave you up. Not because she didn't want you, but because she couldn't do it on her own." Jackson chewed on his bottom lip, looking away.

"I don't care," Jackson said. "I can refuse to take it."

"Hey!" Derek growled, his eyes flashing red.

"No! You had no right to go behind my back like that. I don't want anything from her."

"You listen to me," Derek said, his finger pointing in Jackson's face. "You're dying, so you don't get a say anymore. You're not getting any better. The chemo's just making you worse. So if they say a bone marrow transplant is going to help you, you're going to take the fucking transplant. And if that marrow has to come from your birth mother, then you're going to take it. No argument."

"It's my body," Jackson growled bitterly.

"Yeah, and I'm doing my best to keep it alive. So stop being a spoiled little brat and save yourself, you hear me?" Derek wasn't expecting the slap across the face, even though he was pretty sure he deserved it sitting so close to Jackson. And even though he deserved it, he couldn't keep the wolf at bay as his eyes turned red and his teeth grew to points.

"Get the fuck away from me," Jackson said, his eyes flashing turquoise. Derek took a deep breath, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture. "I said get away from me!" Jackson screamed, his arm pulled back to his Derek again. Derek caught his wrist as a nurse he didn't recognize came running in the room, stabbing a needle into his IV that quickly knocked him out.

"Upsetting him isn't going to help him get any better," the short red head said before turning and leaving the room. Derek sighed, running a hand through his hair as he turned and left the room shortly behind her.

* * *

Jackson groaned, blinking his eyes open. His head was throbbing and his mouth was dry and he whimpered as someone pushed a cup of water in his face.

"Nurse said you and Derek got into it pretty bad," a familiar voice said and Jackson glanced up to meet eyes with Danny.

"You shouldn't have hacked that system. Shouldn't have given him the address. He had no right going to her." Jackson kept his eyes shut, his head pounding.

"I know," Danny said, biting his lip.

"You aren't going to give me the 'you're dying so you don't get a choice' speech?" Jackson asked bitterly, looking away.

"No," Danny said. "And in my defense, that's the same speech Derek gave me when he had me hack the DCFS system."

"Yeah well, he told me I was a spoiled brat and that my opinion didn't matter. So I slapped. He got a little wolfy with me, I got a little wolfy with him, and then a nurse knocked me out. I'm assuming he's not just sitting in the hallway?" Jackson stared at a spot just beyond Danny, his eyes dead looking.

"No, he's not. I don't know where Derek is, Jax," Danny said quietly. "Melissa just told me what the morning nurse told her."

"How was Stiles' first full moon, by the way?" Jackson asked and Danny snorted.

"Well he didn't try to eat me, so that's a plus. But he killed a squirrel and then cried for two hours straight about it once he turned human again. Don't tell him I told you that. He's embarrassed."

"He didn't eat the squirrel did he?" Jackson asked, his eyes wide. Danny laughed.

"No, Lydia took it away from him once it was dead and threw it someplace where he couldn't get to it. Now he just keeps complaining that it feels like the wolf is pacing in his head; like it's bored or something." Jackson, who had let his eyes fall shut again, sat straight up, his brow knitted together. "What's wrong?" Danny asked, reaching out for Jackson's arm.

"My wolf's gone," Jackson said, his voice low.

"What? How's that possible?"

"I don't know. But I can't feel it anymore."

"Maybe he's just asleep?" Danny suggested and Jackson glared at him.

"I would be able to feel that, dumbass. Oh my God it's gone. You've got to get Derek. My wolf's gone, oh my god."

Danny glanced up at the monitor that was tracking Jackson's heartbeat. He bit his lip as the beeping sped up and Melissa ran into the room.

"Jackson, sweetheart, you've got to calm down," She said, taking his hand.

"My wolf's gone. Melissa, I can't feel my wolf," Jackson was looking at her with wide eyes, clearly on the brink of a panic attack.

"Deep breaths Jackson," she said as the boy clawed at his own throat. He never saw when she sunk another needle into his arm, knocking him out.

* * *

"I don't know what's going on with him. You're the one who's been a werewolf the longest and you just take off and leave. Jackson says he can't feel his wolf anymore; it's like it's just gone. He's tried shifting a couple times but can't. So if you can pull your head out of your ass and come back to the hospital, that'd be great. I know you both said a lot you didn't mean, but can you please put that behind you and talk to your mate?"

Derek sighed, ending the voicemail from Danny. He turned his phone back off and pulled his jacket before shutting the door to his house. Derek crossed the woods slowly, sniffing out all the new smells from the other pack. He was vaguely aware that this was suicide, going to another pack by himself, but he didn't have much of a choice.

"Well look what we have here, boys and girls," a loud voice said and Derek had to keep himself from flinching. A tell man with long hair stood before the others, his hands in his jean pockets. Even before Derek got anywhere close to him, he knew this was the alpha. "What can we do for you, little boy?"

"This is my territory," Derek said, proud that his voice didn't shake at all. "It's been my family's territory for years, and after they were killed, it became my territory. I have a pact with the hunters in the area; as long as no humans are killed, they leave my pack alone. You killing people on my territory makes my life a hell of a lot more complicated." Derek kept his posture straight, his face blank.

"Your pack?" The other alpha asked, a sneer on his face. "It looks to me that you're all alone, little boy."

"My mate is sick," Derek said, his voice shaking slightly. "He's sick with a disease his wolf can't heal. My pack is staying with him. It's likely….It's likely he might not have much longer."

"Well I'm sorry to hear that, little boy. But I'm afraid my pack has an agenda. We've already over taken the three towns surrounding your little humble abode. I'd like this one as my own, too."

"I can't let you do that," Derek said, taking a step forward. Two Beta's behind the other Alpha climbed to their feet and Derek stopped. "Not only are there hunters in the area, but the local law enforcement is aware of the wolf activity here. They won't let you keep killing the local government officials. They won't let you kill any more people."

"Is that so?" The other Alpha said, circling Derek. Derek stayed still, even though his wolf whined in the back of his throat when he left his back exposed. "And you really think they can stop us?"

"I'm trying to keep my pack together," Derek said, his voice strong. "My pack's young; I've had to rebuild after the death of my family. And like I said, my mate is very sick. But I will take to time to help the hunters and sheriff's office bring you down, you hear me? And the Argent's-they won't be easily swayed. There's also a new group of hunters here, and I won't put my pack at risk for you. If I were you I'd pack up and head out now. Because this won't end well for you." Derek took a couple steps backwards, keeping his eyes locked on the other Alpha. Finally he turned on his heel and ran.

* * *

"How long have you been here?" Lydia asked, handing Danny a cup of coffee as Stiles climbed into his boyfriend's lap. Danny groaned when Stiles' flailing limbs elbowed him in the stomach but carefully wrapped his arms around the shorter teen.

"Since yesterday afternoon," Danny said quietly, watching Jackson's shallow breaths as he slept. "Him and Derek got into it pretty bad and the nurse sedated Jackson and Derek just took off. Then when he woke up yesterday afternoon when I got here, he said he couldn't feel his wolf. Which, you know, means nothing to me, but I'm sure you guys would understand."

"He can't feel his wolf?" Lydia asked, her eyes even wider than normal. Stiles froze in Danny's arm, staring at Jackson's sleeping form.

"Yeah, that's what he said. And he freaked out, but thank God Melissa was working then. She sedated him again, but we're lucky it was her who gets it and not someone else who'd just send him to psych."

"Fuck," Stiles mumbled.

"Then when he woke up this morning he kept saying his wolf was gone and trying to shift and he couldn't. He said he couldn't even feel his wolf shift. He asked Melissa to knock him out again before she left."

"What's Derek have to say about it?" Lydia asked, taking a sip of coffee as she perched in another chair. Danny shrugged, pushing Stiles to one knee so he Danny could use his arm.

"He hasn't been back," Danny said, blowing on the still hot coffee. "I've tried calling him but it keeps going to voicemail. I haven't been able to get a hold of him."

"Fuck," Stiles mumbled again, and Danny started drawing small shapes on the small of the teens back. Allison and Scott entered the room, Scott's eyes trailing over Jackson's body.

"Well, apparently chemo's a cure for being a werewolf?" Lydia said after a while.

"Great," Jackson mumbled, his voice raspy as he blinked his eyes open. "Now Scott's going to convince some poor Med Student that he's Jackson Whittemore and that he's just really, really late to his chemo appointments and to just give it to him all at once." Allison snorted as she sat on the edge of his bed, slowly feeding him ice chips.

"Hey!" Scott said, looking offended. "I don't want the cure anymore."

"Well good, 'cause chemo's so not worth it."

"My dad said Derek approached the other pack," Allison said after a while, her always cold hands slowly running over Jackson's burning forehead.

"Well glad he's doing something useful while he's pouting like a child," Jackson whispered.

"Apparently they do have a political agenda," Allison said. "They've already taken over the three towns surrounding us and they want Beacon Hills, too."

"Well fuck," Stiles said, and Danny snorted.

"Is that all you can say?" Danny whispered and Stiles elbowed him in the stomach.

"I guess Derek told the other pack that he'd take time to help my family and the sheriff's office bring down the other pack. The other alpha didn't seem too impressed.

"Did Derek say anything about when he'd be coming back here?" Jackson asked quietly, watching Allison's fingers walk down his arm.

"No," she said sadly, squeezing Jackson's arm. "I guess he told Dad he'd be hiding out for a while so the other pack didn't know where he was. Did something happen?"

"Just a stupid fight," Jackson mumbled, staring at his hands. He was quiet for a while. "I guess I'm getting a bone marrow transplant," he said after a while, flinching when everyone looked at him with wide eyes.

"Way to not sound excited," Lydia said after a moment, and Jackson shrugged.

"My birth mom's the donor," Jackson said.

"Oh fuck," Stiles said. "Ow!" he should when Danny poked him in the ribs.

"When?" Lydia asked, sitting on the other side of Jackson's bed.

"Next week, I think," he said letting his eyes fall shut. "So hopefully Derek will be back by then."

* * *

Danny let out a huff of breath when Stiles jumped on him, knocking the air out of him. He was stunned for a moment as Stiles trailed kissed down his neck, the spastic teen's hand going to grip Danny's erection. Danny kissed back earnestly, one hand gripping Stiles' hip as the other went down his pants. Stiles whimpered, pressing his hips closer to Danny's.

"Derek's going to come back, right?" Stiles asked between kisses and Danny groaned before flipping them so he was on top.

"You really want to talk about Derek right now?" Danny asked, pushing their erections together and making Stiles gasp.

"Well he's my Alpha," Stiles said, digging his nails into Danny's back after checking that they were still human. "And Jackson's upset."

"Guh! Stop talking about Jackson and Alpha's while we're messing around!" Danny yelled, sinking his teeth into Stiles' neck. The werewolf arched against Danny. It didn't take long for them both to come undone. Danny narrowly missed falling on Stiles as he dropped.

Now about Derek…" Stiles said and Danny laughed.

"Whatever happened to basking in the afterglow?" the goalie mumbled, rolling over. "No one knows where Derek is, Stiles. He won't even answer Jax's phone calls. I…I hate to say it, but Derek might have gone a-wall."

"But Jackson's transplant…" Stiles mumbled. "And don't mates get sicker the longer they're apart?"

"Does that still apply now that Jackson's not a wolf?" Stiles bit his lip, but before he could answer his phone vibrated.

**"Forest behind the lacrosse field. Tonight 10. Don't bring Danny. He won't be safe.-Derek"**

"How does he sound like an ass even through text?" Stiles mumbled and Danny smirked.

"It's okay, I'll just stay with Jax."

"I love you," Stiles whispered, burying his face in Danny's neck.

"I love you, too."

* * *

"When are you coming back to the hospital?" Stiles asked, lining up beside Scott.

"Not now, Stiles," Derek growled, his eyes red.

"Jackson keeps asking about you…" Lydia said quietly.

"Not now! The hunters are going to be coming from over there," Derek said, pointing to the East. "The police department from the West. They're both armed with wolfsbane bullets, so try not to get shot. The other packs den is to the North. Take out who you can, but stay safe. Leave the alpha for me."

The fight was hard, each person fighting for their life. Stiles was vaguely aware of his dad telling one of his deputies that if Stiles was shot, Dave would have his head. Stiles flinched when he swiped at someone's throat, killing him instantly. Lydia was fighting two people at once without breaking a sweat. Derek had the alpha pinned, snarling in his face.

"You know, little boy, killing me isn't going to make your mate better," the other alpha growled, sinking his claws into Derek's arm.

"Yeah? Well it will keep him and the rest of my pack safe." Derek pinned the other alpha's arm back, his claws at his throat.

"You're made for such better things!" The alpha said, his red eyes wide. "You can easily join us!"

"No!" Derek yelled, ripping the man's throat out. Following their alpha's death, the other pack fell back, collecting their wounded.

"Derek…" Scott said quietly, falling back when Derek growled at him.

"Go home!" Derek yelled at his pack. "Now!"

"Are you going to check on Jackson?" Stiles asked as the rest of the pack turned to leave.

"Let it go, Stiles," Derek growled. Stiles turned to leave, but stopped.

"His wolf is gone, you know," the teen said, glancing at Derek over his shoulder. "So there's your out. He's not your mate anymore. So you're not obligated to stay. So make up your mind if you're going to stay or go, because he deserves better than this."

Derek watched him go, a sigh caught in his throat. Finally, Derek left, too. He never looked back.

* * *

_**AN**__: I hope you liked it. Please review. _


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